Nightmares and Blossoms
by thecolorsparkle
Summary: The idea of Mother Nature is admissable, right? Mother Nature is a story told when the young ones ask who planted the trees and who brings spring. Mother Nature is a silly tale told to entertain rather then to prove true. Mother Nature is not real; she's just a myth, a fable, really. Or is she?
1. Chapter 1

This is my first fanfic for anything that isn't Harry Potter. I recently saw Rise of the Guardians and thought of Flora. Hopefully I'll be able to post a new chapter every day. Reviews and constructive criticism would be welcome! Thanks and enjoy(:

Disclaimer: I don't own RotG or any of it's characters, just Flora.

* * *

_Even after all that has happened, I can still close my eyes and remember when I first came around. I can remember the friends that I made, the enemies I defeated. I can still remember the horrors that I went through, the pain and the suffering, the loneliness and the hurting. But other things overshadowed the pain: love, joy, friendship, peace, harmony._

_ Hope._

_ My story may not be as different as others, but it is one in the same. It is my story, my humble tale of how I came to be. It's my adventure- the history of the simple idea of Mother Nature._

_ And that's what makes it different._

* * *

When I first woke up, it was dark and cold; a small cave. I felt smothered by the blackness that surrounded me. I needed warmth, not the cold; I needed _life_, not the darkness in this cave. I needed sunshine and the blue sky and _freedom_, not cold and disparity. I felt trapped and locked in. Water dripped somewhere off a stalagmite, echoing off the rock walls. I shivered.

A soft light appeared at the entrance of the cave. Maybe that was where I was supposed to go- maybe that was where I could have my freedom from this cave. I held my hand over my eyes as I stood on wobbly legs. My bare feet took shaky step after shaky step until I reached the front of the cave. I stood, holding onto the rocky walls, as I looked out over the small area of land. My cave was in the side of a mountain. A lake sparkled in the light of the moon. A waterfall trickled down the side of the mountain. A small area of green grass was to my right.

The moon brightened to get my attention.

_Your name is Flora. Welcome. _

"How do you know my name? Where am I? Who are you?" I asked. My voice was clear and sweet, like a bell. I waved my arms at the moon. "Please, answer me!"

I got no response. I turned angrily from the moon. Instead I looked at my hands. I could tell that my skin was sun kissed in the faint light of the sky. I clenched my fingers tightly together. As I opened them, a few flower petals fell to the ground. Glimmers of a golden sparkly dust sprinkled to the ground as well.

Shocked, I clenched my fingers again. In my opened palm, there sat three flower petals: _a rose petal, a lily petal, and a daisy petal,_ I thought to myself. How did I know that? How could I do that?

I took a tentative step out of the cave. I was now fully into the green area, with the green grass tickling my feet. Rock walls surrounded the clearing. The waterfall stretched up as far as I could see. I looked behind me at the cave. To my utter surprise there were simple wildflowers growing where I placed my bare feet.

Getting an idea, I pointed my finger at the ground. A tree popped up where my finger was pointing. Something told me in the back of my mind that it needed water. I gestured to the water in the small pond to come to the tree. A swirling orb of water rose out of the pond and, with my careful guidance, the tree was watered. Flowers blossomed and bloomed from the branches of the tree. Cherry pink flowers decorated the tree limbs, and soon shiny red fruit took the place of the flowers. It was an apple tree.

Thrilled with my creation, I went to the pond and looked into it. A clear face looked back at me- full, cherry red lips and long, wavy brown hair. Green eyes gazed up from the surface of the water. I stepped back and looked down at myself. I was wearing a soft green tunic. It was draped and it had a handkerchief hemline. The dress was covered with beads and jewels so I sparkled in the moon light. A pair of shoes sat next to me, but I ignored them. I preferred the touch of the warm grass on the bottoms of my feet. A woven belt made of vines was tied around my middle.

I crouched to the ground and concentrated hard. I caressed the grass and whispered a few words of encouragement. A single flower grew where I touched the earth. _It's a lily,_ I thought to myself. The beautiful flower bobbed its head in the moonlight as though it agreed with me. I looked to the ground next to it. I concentrated just as hard and a daffodil popped up. Something in the corner of my eye caught my attention; a small bag. I cautiously grabbed it and opened it. A bright light burst out of the bag. I drew away from it, scared, but then picked it up again. I put my finger in it and brought it back out. Golden sparkles covered my finger tip. What is this stuff? It smelled like a hot summer's day.

_That's sunshine dust. It's to be used to help grow the flowers. _

_Sunshine dust, eh?_ I tied the small bag's drawstring around my belt. _That should come in handy._ I spent the next few minutes growing various flowers and trees all around in the grassy area. I touched the rock wall and a vine came from my finger and traveled along the wall. I held my hands up and vines shot out of my palms and covered the rock walls. I skipped around the vines and touched the leaves to make flowers bloom. Before long the small area was filled with the most beautiful garden on the Earth. I sighed, content with my work. I sat down to breathe in the wonderful smells and scents of the plants.

Soon I became antsy. I walked to the wall opposite of the waterfall and back again. I was restless, I wanted to go somewhere and grow more things. I wanted to create more gardens. I wanted freedom, to be able to go anywhere and plant whatever I wanted.

_You have wings, you know._

I glanced up at the sky. The moon seemed to be laughing at me. I stretched my back, and to my surprise wings popped out of my back. They were thin, made of a sheer, gossamer- like material. They had veins and they shimmered in the moonlight. They seemed to have the sunshine dust on the wings. I fluttered my wings and began to fly up and out of the garden I had created. As I reached the top of the tall waterfall, I looked up to the moon.

"Is this what I'm supposed to do? Grow flowers?" I asked. I clenched my fist and watched as a single rose petal appeared on my palm.

The moon was silent, mocking me. I sighed and flew off, sunshine dust glittering in my wake.

* * *

Thanks for reading(:


	2. Chapter 2

This takes place after the movie. Pitch is still out there, hiding. Thanks for reading(:

* * *

**300 years later**

"JACK!"

North, most commonly known as Santa Claus or St. Nick, sighed and grumbled to himself in a mixture of Russian and English. That boy was always disappearing. North glanced outside the window silently. He straightened his red coat.

"Jack!"

North walked to the globe. He stared at all of the glowing dots. One blinked out before his eyes- a child had stopped believing in the Guardians. This happened from time to time, and it was expected to happen as the children grew older. But still, it hurt.

"North, whaddya need?" A pale boy with white blonde hair and clear blue eyes hopped through an open window. The handsome boy leaned casually on his staff and adjusted the strings of his blue hoodie. North turned from the globe and opened his mouth to give an order to Jack.

"Call the others. I have important meeting to discuss." North said gravely. "Man in Moon says spirit is in trouble."

"Who's in trouble? What spirit?" Jack tried to ask, but North sighed and walked to the handle that created the unnatural northern lights. It was the signal for the other Guardians to go to the North Pole, used for mostly emergency meetings and important announcements. Within minutes, a giant hole appeared in the floor and a six foot tall bunny hopped out of it. His dark grey fur was impossibly thick and was covered in blue markings. He had a pair of boomerangs in his sash, along with a few egg bombs.

"G'day, mate," The rabbit said. His strong Australian accent was warm but harsh. "What's the problem, eh?"

"Hey, furball!" Jack greeted the Aussie bunny. A boomerang was thrown at his head. Jack laughed and ducked.

"I explain when Tooth get here," North said. A yeti walked up and showed North a blue tricycle for approval. "I don't like it. Paint it red!" North laughed gaily and grabbed a cookie from a passing elf. The yeti looked back at his work station to the twenty- plus blue tricycles and yelled in anger. He threw the blue toy down and stormed off.

A twittering was heard from the window. Toothiana fluttered in, surrounded by the usual three or four fairies. She was talking about to them about tonight's teeth collection.

"… and make sure you don't forget Morocco tonight." She said to Baby Tooth, her trusted fairy. "That was awful how some of the teeth weren't picked up. OH, and remember to leave two quarters tonight! It'll be a happy surprise for the children." Tooth turned to the fairy next to Baby Tooth. "And you need to be nicer to Baby Tooth. She told me that you yanked her feathers last yesterday. Now, that wasn't very nice, was it?"

"Tooth, shut it, would yah?" Bunnymund sighed and leaned against the wall. He took an egg out and started to paint it with stripes and polka dots. Tooth opened her mouth, but before she could speak, North interrupted her.

"No fighting! We wait for Sandy, no? Then we get started!" The jolly old man chuckled merrily. A few seconds later a golden airplane flew into the room and Sandy stepped out of it. He wiped his hands and gave North a thumbs up. The little golden man grinned at everyone in the room and spelled _hello_ in sparkly sand above his head. Only Jack noticed and waved back at him.

"Good, we all here." North rubbed his hands. "Man in moon had announcement. We must stand at spots."

The five Guardians stood at their designated spots surrounding the opening for the moon's crystal. The crystal rose out of the floor and was a blank slate. It shone bright and it glowed a fluorescent blue.

"A new Guardian?" Bunnymund grumbled. He grossed his arms and slouched down. "I still don't even like the last one." A snowball was thrown into his face. Bunnymund jumped up straight. "Oi, Frosty, do that again, I dare you!"

"Quiet, Bunny!" North held his hands up. "It shall be shown!"

The crystal brightened for a moment. Who could the new Guardian be? Bunnymund crossed his fingers and muttered, "Please not Groundhog, please not Groundhog, anyone but Groundhog!" Tooth glared at him.

"Aster! Hush!" Tooth frowned. Bunnymund scowled at her.

The crystal flashed once, twice, thrice before it showed a girl with long brown hair and vines shooting out of her hands. Gossamer wings fluttered behind her as she took aim at an invisible enemy. Her hair was tangled with various flowers and beads. Jack let out a low whistle.

"Oh no, not 'er!" Bunnymund exclaimed. He jumped back. "Anyone but 'er! She's a bloody nightmare, she is! I woulda' preferred the Groundhog!"

"Who is that?" Jack asked. His face was pressed up against the crystal. "She's pretty." He was practically drooling at the picture. Sandy shook his head at the boy in disgust. A picture of Jack with hearts for eyes appeared over his head in gold sand. North saw and laughed. Sandy couldn't help but join in with his jingly laugh.

"That's Flora!" Tooth jumped excitedly. She clapped her hands together. "You probably know her as Mother Nature. She helps the flowers bloom." Tooth fluttered around the room in a frenzy. "Oh, we used to be so close when we were younger! I haven't seen her for two centuries!" Tooth's feathers shone brightly in the light of the crystal. Bunnymund made a noise of disgust in the back of his throat. He crossed his arms and turned from the crystal with a huff.

"Bunny, why you no like Flora?" North questioned the rabbit. "She nice girl." He roughly pulled Jack away from the crystal. "Toothie speaks highly of sprite."

"I don't like 'er because one time she grew flowers in all of my hiding places!" Bunnymund stomped his foot. "In the year of 1894! Bloody menace, she is." He threw his boomerang to make a point. Tooth shook her head. Jack crept closer to the crystal and stared at it.

"Aster, that is the stupidest reason for a grudge I have ever heard. Flora is a lovely girl. Sure, she's got a bit of a temper, and sure, sometimes she can be a bit airheaded, but it gets to the best of us." Tooth looked at North. She lowered herself to the ground as somberly as an energetic hummingbird could. "How is she in trouble? Is she alright?"

"Man in Moon says something has been stopping her from growing flowers. It could be Pitch. Manny says she has nightmares of her flowers wilting and they die because of it." North yanked Jack away from the crystal again and turned to Bunnymund.

"But that doesn't explain why she is a Guardian now!" Bunnymund mumbled.

North stared at him blankly with his big blue eyes. "She is Guardian because she help children."

"How in the world does that sprite help the children?" Bunnymund yelped. He pointed a finger at the picture of Flora. "All she does is _grow_ bloody flowers! She does nothing to 'help' the children! She's a blooming oversized fairy!" Tooth glowered at him. Seeing as she was the Tooth Fairy, this annoyed her.

"Ah, but that's where you are wrong, Bunny." North chuckled and waved a sausage- like finger at the large rabbit. "By growing the flowers, she brings peace and harmony to the world. She can control nature and use it for the greater good. How many times have you seen a child leaving an Easter egg hunt with a flower tucked into her hair? That was Flora's doing. She can bring happiness to a child just as easily as we can." North gestured to the five Guardians. "That is why Man in Moon says she is now Guardian. She helps protect the children from sadness."

"So who's going to get her?" Tooth said excitedly. She fluttered into the air again while a few of her fairies looked excited. "Can I go?" She clasped her hands together excitedly. Her fairies chirped enthusiastically. Jack looked up expectantly.

"Yes, Tooth. And take Sandy. He'll help you." North waved her and the small golden man off. Tooth flew out of the window and Sandy made his airplane out of his dream sand. "We'll be here to prepare her room!"

"Prepare 'er room? She's staying here?" Bunnymund grumbled. North nodded. "Bloomin' shelia would want to do it herself. She's not much into letting others do what she could do on her own." The tall rabbit turned to go. "I'll be in me Warren." He tapped the ground with his large foot.

"Oh, no you don't!" North grabbed Bunnymund by his sash before he jumped in the hole. "You go nowhere! You stay right here!"

"Uh, North?" Jack tugged on the sleeve of North's red coat. "Maybe I should go with Tooth and Sandy. They might need some help." He anxiously watched as the bright hummingbird and the twinkling plane disappeared over the horizon.

"You're needed here. We shall have big dinner to celebrate our new Guardian, no?" The jolly Russian man beamed. "Bunny, come with me to kitchen. You make your famous carrot cake and I make delicious borscht. Elves will make more cookies." North babbled on about his idea for Christmas while he dragged Bunnymund and Jack to the kitchen with him. Bunnymund couldn't help but dread meeting the overgrown fairy. He knew there was something about her that annoyed him.

* * *

Thanks for reading(:


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, all you lovelies! So I feel like I should clarify something- **

I'm somehow/ kind of/ failing at trying to make Flora seem like Jack in the beginning of the movie. You know, confused about who she is, lost on how she's supposed to help the world. Stuff like that.

The idea of Mother Nature doesn't apply to many people. I'm right aren't I? If your mother told you that a forest fairy helps all the flowers bloom, you'd probably scoff in her face. Let's be real, the thought of a fairy flying around and growing flowers seems impossible, right?

That's why a lot of people dismiss the thought of Flora. That's why she's invisible to most humans. I mean, in the last chapter, even Jack Frost didn't know who she was! So that's why I'm trying to get her to be like him. She'll have her shining moment when she saves the day sooner or later.

**Oh, and also **Flora will have some sort of relationship with Bunnymund. I'm getting there, I just feel like a lot of stuff has to be explained first. **Sorry if it's slow- I promise it'll speed up soon! **

And in the last chapter, when it said something about Pitch stopping her from growing the flowers, this chapter kind of builds on it. So will the next chapter, and _then_ Flora will be in the North Pole, learning that she's a new Guardian. But I won't say anything else about that. Spoilers! Haha.

Anyway, if you're still reading this redciulously long author's note, leave a review! I'd love to know of what you think of Flora's story.

And now, on to the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own RofG, just the idea of Flora.

* * *

It was a bright and sunny day. Flora was helping a particularly stubborn pear tree bloom in the back yard of a small house in the countryside of England. A little girl sat a few feet away from Flora, playing in the dirt, while her mother and older sister sat on the porch. Her mother, in her mid forties, was knitting a pink sweater that the little girl kept eyeing uneasily. Her older sister sat next to her mother reading a book. Flora sighed as she reached into her little bag for her sunshine dust. She sprinkled it on and whispered a few words to the flower bud. She coaxed a few water droplets from the atmosphere to water the tiny bud. The little girl paid no attention to the sprite. Flora was invisible to the girl, and she's been invisible to everyone for three hundred years.

It was tiring for Flora to be invisible all the time. She heard the story of when Jack Frost defeated Pitch Black and became a Guardian, how he was at first just like her. No one saw him and no one believed in him because the idea of someone who can control the snow was admissible. She and him were slightly the same in that- no one wants to believe in a sprite who grows the world's flowers. She knew the thought of someone growing all the flowers of the world seemed silly for most adults. She created all these beautiful flowers for everyone to enjoy, but the children were the only ones who seem to notice. _They_ were the ones who squealed in excitement when they saw her hard work, not the adults. So, Flora has turned her attention into making the children happy with the help of her powers.

But… every once in a while, when Flora was asleep and dreaming, she would have terrifying nightmares of her flowers dying. They were silly nightmares, and even though she would often wake up in a sweat, she would just wave the dreams away and get on with her work. Sometimes the dreams would affect her flowers and make her self esteem go down. Her flowers would wilt seconds after they came out of the ground and shrivel up and die. Every time this happened it would feel like something inside of her broke off and withered away. It truly was a horrible feeling. Flora sighed again and put her troubles behind her as she concentrated on the pear tree. She couldn't let her nightmares distract her while she helped the children of the world.

The little girl glanced at the pear tree just as a flower blossomed. "Mama!" She cried. Her blonde hair danced wildly as she stood and ran to the flower, stepping through Flora to get to the tree. Flora gasped and stepped back, with wildflowers growing from where her feet stepped. She held her stomach with both hands and sank to the ground. She winced as a wave of pain went through her. She clenched her teeth and prayed for the hurting to stop.

"Mama!" The little girl cried again. "What makes the flowers grow?" She pointed at the newly blossomed flower. "It's pretty!"

"Thank you!" Flora said as she rolled her eyes and stood shakily. She didn't know why, but it hurt when the little girl walked through her. Normally it didn't bother her, but lately it felt like a punch to the gut. It was the worst pain she ever experienced in her entire life. She took a deep breath and walked back to the tree and started to open the rest tightly closed buds. The little girl's eyes opened wide at the growing wildflowers. "Pretty!"

"What, Melody? How do flowers bloom?" The mother stood and walked to the pear tree. She gazed thoughtfully at the opening blossoms. "A spring sprite, or fairy, called Mother Nature plants flowers and helps spring arrive. She flies around the world to bring the flowers out of hiding. She's supposed to be beautiful and nice and wonderful. With one touch of her finger on the ground she could grow an entire forest." A timer went off in the house. "Oh, there goes the bread! I'll be right back. Lily, watch your sister, yeah?" The mother walked into the house. Flora frowned. The mother spoke the truth about her. Why didn't she go the extra mile and believe that she existed?

The older girl waited for the screen door to close before she sprang up and prowled to her sister like a cat about to pounce on her prey. Melody hummed to herself and said quietly, "I believe in you, Mother Nature!"

Flora gazed at the girl in shock. A strange warm feeling travelled through her, like warm honey was being poured over her skin and through her veins. She gasped as the little girl looked up and noticed her. The little girl's eyes opened wide while Flora hid behind the tree.

"Who are you?" Melody asked. She peered behind the tree at Flora. "You don't have to hide. I won't bite, although my sister might. Don't make her mad." Melody giggled cheerily and gestured to the girl slowly approaching the tree from behind her. "Do you have a name?" She smiled.

"You can see me?" Flora asked. She stepped nervously out from behind the tree. "You can really see me?"

"Of course, silly!" Melody laughed again, only this time louder. "You're very pretty." She smiled shyly at Flora.

"Thanks," The sprite touched another bud absentmindedly out of her shock. It sprang open immediately. Melody gasped.

"I know who you are!" She exclaimed. Her eyes lit up with joy. "You're Mother Nature! You help the flowers grow!"

Flora laughed joyfully. _She knows who I am! _"You're right, but I go by Flora. Mother Nature is the name humans gave me." She cocked her head at the little girl. "What's your favorite flower? Your favorite color?"

Melody grinned. "I love yellow! Although some of the kids in my class at school tease me because they think girls should only like pink and purple. My sister says that, too. My favorite flowers are… daisies. I love daisies so much. I plant them every year in my garden, but they always die." She frowned, saddened for a moment. Her blonde hair blew around her face. Flora didn't know how to act. This was the only person who really believes in her. Sure, there were stories about her, legends and songs, but no one really ever believed in her. She was just a fable or a tall tale to most people. Flora got an idea and knelt to the ground.

"Watch this." Flora touched the earth and sprinkled her sunshine dust on the ground. She whispered a few words to the ground. A yellow daisy grew out of the dirt. Melody squealed and clapped her hands. "Pretty!"

"Melody, who are you talking to?" Her older sister walked next to the pear tree. She plucked a flower off the tree and ripped the petals off. Flora scowled at the older girl. Melody noticed and waved her hands at her older sister.

"No, Lily! Don't do that!" Melody yanked at the blossom. "Flora worked hard to make that grow!"

"Who's Flora? Your imaginary friend?" Lily grinned harshly. She dropped the flower and ground it into the dirt with her heel. Flora gasped and put a hand to her chest in shock. She had never seen someone destroy one of her flowers so harshly.

"Flora is Mother Nature!" Melody insisted. "She's real! I can see her, she's right here!" She pointed at where Flora was standing next to her. "She helps the flowers grow."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Melody, there's no such thing as Mother Nature!" She crossed her arms. She reminded Flora of someone but she couldn't place her finger on it. Someone who was continuously grumpy and rude…

Melody welled her face up like she was about to cry. "But she's standing right here!"

"Ask her what her favorite flower is," Flora whispered. She knelt down to the ground and opened her pouch of sunshine dust. If Melody could see her, then perhaps she could get Lily to, too. Melody asked her sister.

"Snapdragons, the purple ones. Why're you asking me?" Lily flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder. "That's beside the point. You need to stop believing in fairytales."

Flora nodded at Melody. "Tell her to look where my hands are." Flora waited until Melody had gotten her sister to stare at the spot with a promise that if nothing grew then she'd stop believing in things she can't see. The promise was crude and hurtful for Melody, but Flora concentrated on the ground. She touched the dirt next to the yellow daisy and sprinkled her sunshine dust on the spot. "Keep her belief strong," she whispered to the dirt. Within seconds a purple snapdragon grew and caused Lily to gasp.

Flora held her hand over the flower and a small trickle of water flowed from her palm and onto the dirt where the roots were beginning to grow. She blew onto both flowers with a soft puff of air from her mouth. There. She stood and wiped her hands off. She turned her attention to Melody and Lily. The latter stared at the flower in shock and widened her eyes at Flora's feet. Her blue eyes travelled up Flora's dress, then to her hair, then to her face. Flora smiled warmly at the older girl. The feeling of warm honey covering her skin came back stronger than before. She could be seen by two people!

"Hi," She said. She held her hand out. "My name is Flora. I'm Mother Nature."

Lily shakily held her hand out. "I'm Lily." Her mouth was a perfect, round O of surprise. "You're real? How can you be real? You're nothing but a myth!"

At those words Flora winced. It physically pained her when those words were spoken. It reminded her of her nightmares and one of the flowers on the pear tree wilted. No one saw the flower die, but the shadow of an evil laughter came to Flora's head. She winced again and Lily noticed. She thought it was the reaction to her words and immediately apologized. The older girl couldn't stop staring at Flora.

"Are there others like you?" Lily asked. She gestured to the flower. "Do you do this every day?"

Flora laughed. "By others, do you mean fairies? Yes, there are more fairies. They mostly cause trouble for fun. But myths? There's Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, Jack Frost… they're real. I've met them. As long as you believe in them, you can see them."

The mother poked her head out of the door. "Girls? It's time for lunch!" She went back inside. Melody's face grew sad. Flora noticed and touched her chin.

"Keep your head up. Those flowers will bloom for as long as you believe in me. You, too, Lily. They will live forever if your belief is strong. Others may laugh at you for your faith, but in your heart you know it's true." Flora smiled as the two girls hugged her and went to the door.

Melody turned at the last second and asked, "Will I see you again?" Lily waited for her answer as well.

Flora grinned. "Of course. I'll come back another day." The two girls waved their goodbye. Flora finished opening the buds of the pear tree. She thought about Melody. She believed in something so easily, so naively it scared her. What if Pitch came along and convinced her that Flora wasn't real? Would Melody believe him? Flora glanced up at the sky to see the moon half- hidden in the bright sky. He seemed to be smiling sadly down at the sprite. Man in Moon must know of her problems with the dreams. She sighed again and opened the last blossom of the pear tree. As soon as she was done, she opened her wings and flew off.

Flora loved flying. It made her feel so alive and free. She loved the feeling of the wind in her hair and the sun on her face. Every day she flew from place to place, growing flowers and keeping the children happy. Just seeing the smiling faces of the kids holding a flower to their chest, breathing in the scents of the blossom, was enough to make her feel on top of the world. Every so often, though, she would see a flower wilt suddenly in the hands of a child. She would see and feel the petals drooping. She had a personal connection with her flowers; they were practically her children. As the petals fell to the ground, she would hear that deep, maniacal laughter that plagued her sleep. Could she keep the flowers alive even though she was suffering from the effects of Pitch?

She_ had_ to. If anything, she would die to keep the flowers alive. Flora was a fighter, no doubt about it. She's had years to learn how to take care of her flowers. Nothing could stop her from trying to bring the world peace and harmony.

* * *

Ps, sorry if there are any grammatical mistakes with the tenses. I hope you enjoyed this! A new chapter should be up in a few minutes. Thanks for reading(:


	4. Chapter 4

Hopefully this chapter will be as fun to read as it was to write. I thoroughly enjoyed writing this.

* * *

The room was dark. The cave like walls echoed with screams of despair and sorrow caused by the Fearlings haunting the dreams of children. Hundreds of empty cages surrounded a tall, shadowy figure. The figure stood at the Globe and scowled. The bright lights twinkled at him infuriatingly. How could those idiot children believe in such disgusting creatures? He himself was a much better being than those hopeless figureheads. Everyone knows that fear is the most powerful thing in the world, not something as silly or pathetic as _hope _or _wonder. _It made him sick to think of it.

_Hope. _What a revolting word. What an empty meaning. What a nausea- inducing term. What a sickening feeling. The shadowy figure laughed once before he turned to his right- hand Fearling. The big black horse stared at him blankly into his eyes. A voice popped into his head.

_The plan is working, master._

"Is she becoming scared?" It was hardly more than a whisper. Never has the shadowy figure been so weak. He needed fear to survive and those damned Guardians were literally sucking the life from him. But, with him being immortal, it only weakened him to the point of him hardly being able to move.

_She is succumbing to the nightmares. Her powers are weakening. The Guardians suspect nothing._

"Good, good. This is very good." His voice was stronger now. He turned to the black horse. "Will she fall into our trap soon?"

_In all due time, master. _

The Fearling neighed and whinnied. He reared back and charged out of the hole with the troop of Fearlings following him. They raced through the hole that led to the entrance of his underground cave. Their thunderous hooves trampled over everything in their path.

The shadowy figure raised his finger and touched one of the lights of the Globe. There was a sizzle and a bright flash of light. He drew his hand back quickly, hissing at the burnt skin stretched over his skeletal bones. His bright yellow eyes flashed. He suddenly stood straight and whirled around to the entrance of the cave. He angrily threw a handful of nightmare sand at the ground and a new Fearling was formed from the sand.

"Go find that wretched fairy." The figure wheezed. "Go find her and torment her with nightmares. Tell her that no one will ever believe in her. Show her that her flowers will die and no one will care. Have even her daydreams plagued with fear! She will be _mine._" He threw another handful of nightmare sand at the Fearling to make it bigger and more intimidating. "Go! Leave her with no peace!"

_As you say, master. She will suffer. _

The Fearling rose from the ground as it flew through the tunnel leading to the sunlight. Its leathery, sparkling wings flapped mercilessly as it raced to find its target.

"Excellent." The figure turned back to the Globe. He rubbed his hands together and chuckled ruefully. "I _will _win this fight. I _will _become the supreme leader of the world. No more hiding for me! I shall soon have those disgusting Guardians locked up in these cages." The figure looked up at the ceiling. He raised his arms to the heavens. "Did ya hear that, North? Did ya hear that, Jack? I will defeat you! Oh yes," The figure lowered his arms and rubbed his hands together again. "Pitch Black will never be silenced again!" He raised his arms once more and cackled madly. He felt stronger now. He knew his Fearlings were hard at work destroying children's dreams. He felt his strength and everything else return. That stupid fairy was only a pawn in his game. Whether she lives or dies doesn't matter to him, as long as her idiotic flowers die. He cackled once more.

"Pitch Black is back."

* * *

Reviews are nice(: Thanks fore reading!


	5. Chapter 5

This is the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it! This chapter was kind of hard to write. On another note, S/O to wikipedia for the info on Kudzu.

Disclaimer: I don't own RotG

* * *

Bunnymund took his carrot cake out of the oven and placed it on the table to cool down. His mouth immediately started to water from the delicious aroma that was rising from the round cake. Jack tried to grab a piece of the cake, only to be stopped by a slap of the wrist from Bunnymund's large paws. Jack frowned before turning back to his special frost cake he was busy icing. North stood from the table where he was making borscht.

"Oi, North, when is the bloomin' shelia getting' here? I gotta get to the Warren an prepare me eggs." Bunnymund hopped from the table to the fridge and grabbed a few carrots. He started to Peel the carrots on top of his cake- it made the cake taste all the more delicious. "Easter is in a few days. I gotta get ready."

The jolly man checked his watch and covered his borscht with a bit of foil. "Tooth should be here by now. I go check." He walked out of the kitchen, nearly tripping over a few rambunctious elves. Jack turned to Bunnymund as soon as North left the room.

"Do you think she's funny?" He asked. If Bunnymund was dreaded meeting Flora, then Jack would be the exact opposite. The younger boy had been asking inane questions on what the new girl would be like the whole afternoon. "Maybe she likes jokes as much as I do!"

"Knowin' that shelia, she'd be more partial to keep to 'erself." Bunnymund replied. He was tired of Jack badgering about the new Guardian. "Don't you have to make the salad, too?" He pointed a paw at the bowl with a large head of lettuce in it. A bag full of ripe tomatoes and green cucumbers sat at its side.

Jack groaned at the sight of the vegetables. "Don't remind me." He half heartedly pulled the green veggies to him and started to roughly pull the leaves apart. Bunnymund turned back to his cake and grumbled to himself under his breath. He really didn't want to meet that fairy.

After a few minutes, Bunnymund got the suspicion that the fairy had arrived and that was why North was taking so blooming long to come back to the kitchen. Bunnymund put the cake back in the oven on a low heat before he left the room with a distracted hop.

"What about me?!" Jack called from the kitchen, but Bunnymund ignored him and hopped to the Globe room. He thought back to the time when he first met the fairy.

* * *

_Bunnymund hopped in the shadows, keeping sure to hide from any human. It was Easter Sunday, and the bright and sunny spring day was filled with laughter and joy. His basket filled with eggs clanked slightly as he hopped. He got to the empty forest he wanted to hide his eggs in within seconds. He was about to come out of the shadows before he noticed a thin girl walking along the forest. He was too busy fuming about how she was going to make him late to notice there were wildflowers growing where she walked._

_The girl knelt down on the ground in an open clearing of the forest. _No! _Bunnymund wanted to cry out._ I was going to hide eggs there!_ The girl paid no attention to her surroundings as she scooped some of the earth into a small mound. She looked around once, her eyes sweeping over the bush Bunnymund was hiding in. He could see exactly how green her eyes were from his distance of twenty feet away. Her long brown hair covered the back of her green dress and nearly touched her waist. The girl touched the dirt once. What was she getting at?_

_"Grow, I know you can." Her voice was sweet and caring. The girl's back was to him as she sprinkled something sparkly on the ground. "You are going to be a beautiful rose. Nothing can stop you from being bright and cheerful." _

_The girl stepped back as a tiny green shoot appeared in the brown dirt. It grew quickly, producing thorns and leaves before it formed a bud. The girl blew softly on the bud and it opened quickly. The girl smiled softly and made water fall from her hand. She stood and brushed the dirt from her knees. She looked around the forest once before grinning. _

_Raising her arms, she opened her palms to the sky. Flowers popped up out of the ground as vines shot out of her palms and covered the trees. She pointed a finger to the ground and an oak tree popped out of the ground. She pointed another finger at a bush and flowers bloomed from the leaves. She started to dance, twirling around and around the forest as life grew around her._

_Bunnymund couldn't believe his eyes. How was this girl doing this? Was he really that tired to think a girl was making plants grow? He snorted at the thought._

_The girl suddenly stopped dancing and turned to the bush._ Shit, _he thought to himself. _She heard me.

_"Who's there?" _

_Bunnymund didn't dare make a sound. He gripped a boomerang to be safe. _

_"I know you're there. Come out." A vine grabbed his foot and pulled him out of the bush with such a force his basket fell over. He hung upside down as the vine tightened itself around his ankle. Bunnymund let loose a string of profanity as he dropped all of his egg bombs at once. They exploded onto the ground with puffs of pastel colored smoke. The smoke cleared suddenly and Bunnymund found himself face to face with the girl._

_"Who're you?" The girl said angrily. Her face was clear and radiant from the sun. She was truly captivating, but Bunnymund would never admit that. She poked him on the chest. "Tell me or else I'll drop you." _

_Bunnymund scoffed. "Please tell me you're jokin', shelia." He rolled his eyes. The girl's eyes narrowed. She snapped her fingers and the vines dropped the bunny on his head. _

_"What the bloody hell did you do that for?" Bunnymund held his head as he stood. Stars whirled around his head as his vision regained focus. "And who're you?"_

_Her expression hardened. "I asked you first." _

_Bunnymund rolled his eyes. "You can't just not know who I am! It's bloomin' obvious!" He grabbed a boomerang and held it to her throat. "I'm the Easta' Bunny." He snarled and pressed the side of the worn wood to her skin. He would never hurt her; he just wanted to scare her. She scowled and pushed his hand away from her neck._

_"More like an overgrown cat." She waved her hand over the grass next to her without her eyes leaving his. A small patch of poppies popped up. She smirked as she broke eye contact to sprinkle that golden dust over the flowers. "And you don't know who I am?" She added, keeping her voice even. Bunnymund could tell it hurt that he didn't know who she was. She twirled her fingers and a circle of mushrooms erupted from the ground with a squishy sound, a fairy's ring._

_"Lemme guess. Are ya Tooth's sista or somthin'?" Bunnymund rolled his eyes. He towered over the short girl. Her eyes flashed and she opened her wings that were hidden under her hair. She fluttered them together and rose until she stared into his eyes. She opened her mouth angrily to say something, but thought better of it and sank back to the ground. She folded her wings across her body and looked dejectedly at the flora that grew all around her. She rubbed her wing in between her finger before she unfurled her wings once more and rose to reach his height. _

_"I'm Mother Nature," She said. She gestured all around her as she twirled around in a circle. "This is what I do. I grow flowers everywhere for everyone." Flowers burst open in the sunlight as though to prove her existence. Golden dust glimmered as it fell from her skin. _

_ "Well couldja grow this stuff somewhere else , then?" Bunnymund sneezed from the pollen. "I was gonna hide me eggs here." He grabbed his basket and moved away from her. "But now I can't cause the children might eat the mushrooms." _

_She scowled at him. "Nature cannot be tamed. And my name is Flora." A tree behind her burst into bloom. Red fruit practically jumped from its limbs. _

_Bunnymund smirked. "Looks like yeh need to control yeh blooms." He nudged a fallen apple towards her. She scowled at the large rabbit as he hopped away. "Until next time, Flora." He tapped the ground with his foot and bounded away into the tunnels under the ground._

* * *

Bunnymund snapped out of his flashback and paused before he opened the door. He sighed to himself, not wanting to face the sprite. He took a deep breath and opened the door cautiously .

"Ahh, here she is! The guest of honor!" North was saying, holding someone in his arms, as Bunnymund stepped into the room unnoticed. He hopped next to Phil, the head yeti, who stood next to the Globe. The big Russian man let go of whoever was in his arms and she fluttered a few inches off the ground. She gently floated to the window and gazed out the window.

"Flora, have you met the Easter Bunny before?" Tooth said. The hummingbird gestured towards Bunnymund. "Aster, say hello."

The girl at the window turned around and stared straight into Bunnymund's eyes. He was shocked to see that she was prettier than he remembered. She had clear, sun kissed skin and rosy lips. Her dark brown hair reached her slender waist in waves and curls. Flowers and beads and feathers decorated her hair. Gossamer wings poked out of her back. Her dark green dress made her eyes pop. He was certain she wasn't that pretty three hundred years ago. _Talk about age being kind to 'er, _he thought to himself.

"G'day, mate." Bunnymund said cautiously. His mouth was slightly opened; an ear twitched. Sandy grinned at him and made a heart over his head with an arrow pointing at Flora. Bunnymund frowned at the Sandman before he made his face a neutral slate. The fairy walked to him, with flowers popping up where her foot was seconds ago on the thick rug underneath her. A passing yeti saw the flowers growing through the rug and yelled in anger at the flowers before throwing a toy down and storming off in a huff.

"Hello, Bunny." She said. Her voice was clear and it reminded Bunnymund of bells. Golden dust similar to Sandy's radiated off her. She held her hand out in front of her and clenched it tightly together. When she opened it, an aster flower was in her palm. Bunnymund gulped. She was even more impressive with her powers than he thought. When they first met, she was clumsy with her flowers. Now she seemed to be able to control them easily. She tucked the flower into his belt and walked back to the window.

"Is she here yet? Has she arrived?" Jack flew through the door excitedly. He stopped when he saw Flora standing at the window. He approached her and tapped her shoulder. When she turned around he went the opposite way. He laughed like a child when she finally caught him tapping her shoulder.

"My name is Jack Frost." He held out his hand. "It's good to meet you."

"Flora." The fairy shook his hand. When she took her hand away there was an oak leaf in his hand. Jack gazed at it with wide eyes as he looked from her to the leaf and back again. She turned to North. "Can I know why I'm here now?"

North nodded his head and grinned. "You are now new Guardian. You help protect the children. You make them happy with your flowers. You protect them from sadness."

Bunnymund watched as the fairy digested this information. She stepped back, causing a rose to pop out of the rug, and touched the window frame behind her absentmindedly. A vine started growing from the tip of her finger. It wrapped itself around the glass as she stood there silently.

"A Guardian? Me?" Flora dropped her had from the window. The vine stopped growing. "But no one even believes in me- just two girls living in England do. How can I be a Guardian?"

"A Guardian does not have to be believed in." Tooth said gently. She placed her hand on Flora's shoulder. "Not a lot of people believe in Jack and he's still a Guardian." Jack looked up from examining his leaf with a fowl look on his face.

"And now we celebrate, no?" The jolly Russian man grinned heartily. "Bring out the trumpets!"

"Wait," Flora held her hands out. "So I get no say in this? Who even told you that I was a Guardian? Is this some sort of trick?"

"Who'd wanna trick yeh?" Bunnymund mumbled. "You're impossible to deal with anyway."

Flora straightened herself and flew to him. She rose to his face and poked his chest like she did all those years ago. "And it seems you're still too grumpy to deal with anyway." Her pretty face was inches from his. Her green eyes were filled with questions as she slowly lowered her hand and backed away.

Tooth coughed awkwardly as Sandy grinned, thrilled at the two interacting. Jack scowled at Bunnymund. North clapped his hands together once and said, "Flora, will you take our vow so you can be proper Guardian?"

"Sure, although I'm still not sure what I'm supposed to do as a Guardian." Flora glanced at Bunnymund out of the corner of her eye. He watched her carefully through his own green eyes.

An ominous, dark chill descended into the room. The window clanged shut and the lights went out. The only light source was the glowing lights of the Globe. A dark laughter rang throughout the room.

"I can tell you what it means to be a Guardian." A hiss, hardly even a voice, said. The lights flickered back on and the shadow of a tall, skeletal thin figure rose from the ground. It was a fuzzy outline; it wasn't solid. "I can tell you all about what it means to be a Guardian."

Flora stepped back and pressed herself up to the wall. The vine she grew on the stones behind her wilted and withered to the ground. She looked frightened- perhaps that wasn't even the word to use. Terrified was a better word for how she looked.

"Oh, is the little fairy scared? Well, she should be." The dark outline of the man appeared next to her and stroked her face with his finger. "There, there. I'm not _that _scary, am I?" He chuckled madly. The wildflowers that grew from where she stepped shriveled up and died.

"Pitch!" North growled at the black outline. "What're you doing here?" He drew his swords from a nearby case and held them out in front of him. "Leave. _Now_."

"But I don't want to!" The outline pouted. With a blink he became solid. He grinned evilly at the room. "And you can't make me."

"Actually, mate, he can," Bunnymund held his ground and took out his boomerangs. "Leave if yeh know what's best for yeh."

"Yeah, Pitch!" Jack pounded his staff into the ground once. Frost spilled from the bottom of his staff all over the rug. It froze the fibers of the carpet, making it extremely slippery. Pitch smiled and turned into a shadow. He slipped along the wall to stand next to Tooth.

"What, are you scared I'm going to take away all of your precious believers?" He plucked a feather from Tooth's arm. She gasped in pain and flew away from the wall. "I'm not going to. This time. I've come for the girl. You see, she's a very important part of my plan." Flora scowled angrily at the shadow.

"What plan?" North asked as the shadow became solid once more. "You cannot take away Flora."

"My plan to RULE the world, Northie!" Pitch skated on the frozen rug like he was ice skating. "I will take the faith away from you, Fatty, and use it to plant fear into everyone's mind! And I need _her_ to do it for me." He pointed at Flora, who stood her ground. Sandy jumped in front of her and spelled the word _no_ over his head.

"And who's going to stop me? You?" He shoved the tiny gold man out of the way. Sandy slammed against the wall and fell to the ground in a heap. When he didn't get back up, Jack pointed his staff at Pitch. Pitch evaded the beam of ice that shot out of the wood. North threw a sword at Pitch while Baby Tooth and the other hummingbirds dive bombed the black shadow. Bunnymund watched as his friends tried to defeat the man they all hated.

"I'm getting stronger, can't you see?" Pitch said as he dodged the sword. "I know just what to expect from you lot."

"Expect this!" Bunnymund threw a boomerang at the tall man. He tossed an egg bomb at his enemy's feet, clouding Pitch in a cloud of pastel pink smoke. He thought he had won until the boomerang came flying back at him. He yelped in surprise as the curved piece of wood whirled past his ear, nearly cutting his head off.

"And now for my finale!" Pitch snapped his fingers. A black shadow appeared out of the ground and advanced toward Flora. It tried to grab her, but she rose just out of its reach. Flora looked around the room to see Sandy on the ground unconscious (probably knocked out from his own sleep dust), Jack aiming icicle after icicle at Pitch, North throwing knives, the hummingbirds dive bombing, and Bunnymund throwing egg bombs at Pitch. Flora took a deep breath and raised her arms. With a jolt Bunnymund noticed it was the same pose she was in when the crystal showed them who the next Guardian was.

"What is she doing?" Pitch glared at the fairy. She fluttered her wings to propel herself in front of the window. She gathered the sun's energy in her wings and felt the energy convert itself under her skin. She took aim at Pitch and smirked as vines shot out of the palms of her hands. They swirled around Pitch, crossing over him and under him and around him before they wrapped him up tight. With one tough yank he fell onto the ground, tied with vines. She lowered herself to the ground and folded her wings together before she leaned over the Boogeyman and said clearly and dramatically, "That's poison ivy."

Pitch yelled in furry as his pale face began to turn splotchy and hideous. "I'll get you for this, you idiot!" He shouted as he tried to wiggle his way out of the vines. Bunnymund let out a low whistle as he surveyed the plants tightly wrapped around Pitch.

"That's what you're supposed to do as a Guardian, mate." He said, awed. "We protect each otha'."

Flora grinned triumphantly at him momentarily before wincing in pain. She clutched her side and whimpered. A thin stream of smoke rose from the vines. Pitch grinned evilly as she backed up to the wall. A slight crackle and a bright flash of orange made her jump into the air with fear. Her wings beat quickly as she tried to push herself into the ceiling as far away from the fire as she could.

"Ahh, so fire is your greatest fear?" He purred. Pitch snapped his fingers and a ball of fire appeared in his palm. The vines shriveled up into charred remains. "I should have known. A forest fairy scared of fire? So simple, yet so childish… I like it." Pitch threw the ball of fire at the ground, where it exploded into nightmare sand. "We'll see how your precious flowers survive this." With a swish of his cloak and a puff of nightmare sand, Pitch Black was gone. The room continued to echo with screams of the nightmares.

The Guardians were silent. It was a few seconds before anyone could say anything. With a short sigh, North opened his mouth to say-

"What the bloody hell was that all about?" Bunnymund interrupted him. He slid both of his boomerangs back into his belt as he hopped to North. "You can't tell me that wasn't real. Please tell me that he's still hiding in his cave or wherever he lives." Bunnymund glanced at Flora. "You eva' commin' down from there, sweet heart?" Flora glared at him harshly.

"Aster, leave her alone." Tooth reached her hand to help Flora down. Flora glared at Tooth before fluttering down to the ground herself. She shivered once, and a shower of golden dust flew off her skin, littering the ground below her. Jack stared at her.

"What is that stuff?" He asked. North looked up from tending to Sandy to hear her answer. Tooth and Bunnymund stared at her as well. Flora flushed a delicate pink, making Bunnymund's heart flutter. _What the bloody hell was his heart doing?_

"It's sunshine dust. I use it to help the plants grow." Flora sprinkled the dust on the ground and a daffodil popped out of the rug. Her expression hardened. "Can someone please tell me what just happened? Why was Pitch Black _here_, in North's workshop?" Bunnymund chuckled to himself. _She's a true Guardian_, he thought. _Thinking of others before her, especially others she doesn't really know that well._

North sat up from tending to Sandy. The little golden man sat up with a grin. He gave two thumbs up to Jack, who smiled in return. "I don't know what Pitch was doing here," North said gravely. "But I think he might come back. For you." He stood, dutifully shaking his head. "I should have known he would come back; but for you, why?"

"I think I know," Jack said, his face furrowing in concentration. "He said he needed her to plant fear… what if he meant it literally?" His face brightened. "What if he makes her physically plant fear as though it was a seed? It would grow into the ground and it would spread like a weed." He shivered from the thought of it. "That's horrible."

"It would be like a kudzu vine." Flora said softly. She saw the curious glances from the other Guardians. "The kudzu vine is a vine that was brought to the Americas in the late 1800' 's a climbing, coiling, and trailing vine native to southern Japan and south east China. Where it occurs as an invasive species, it is considered a noxious weed that climbs over trees or shrubs and grows so rapidly, it kills them by heavy shading. Basically, as soon as it's planted, the vine will take over the land it's on. It's the worst thing to have in a garden," She explained.

"But he was so weak from the lack of faith the children had in him!" Tooth exclaimed. "He was driven into his cave by his own fear of not being believed in! How did he get so powerful?" Baby Tooth nodded her head.

"I dunno, Toothie, but it looks like we haven't seen the worst of 'im yet." Bunnymund said. He glanced at Flora, who was staring at the withered vines on the ground. She looked heartbroken over the dead plants. She sprinkled sunshine dust on the plant to try and revive it, but with no such luck. North clapped his hands once and attempted to make the other Guardians smile.

"Who wants dinner, eh?"

* * *

Leave a review if you liked it! Or if you didn't like it; I'd love some criticism. The next chapter should be up later today.


	6. Chapter 6

Woah, three chapters in one day. I really need to get a life, lol. Anyway, since this chapter is kind of short, I promise a longer one tomorrow! Or maybe later tonight. Probably tomorrow, though.

Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it! If you did, then leave a review! If you hated it, leave a review! I'm open for criticisms because I feel like I'm rushing this story along. If I need to slow it down a bit, someone tell me. Thanks!

And now, on to the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own RotG.

* * *

The table was silent. The clinking of forks against china plates was all that was heard above the crackling of flames in the fireplace. The room was filled with the delicious aroma of many different foods. The Guardians sat around the big table and ate in silence.

The newest Guardian, though not sworn in yet, sat the farthest away from the fire next to the winter spirit. She didn't need to eat; she used the sun's rays to energize her. She sat at the table and drank a glass of water while she pushed a few berries around on her plate. Bunnymund glanced down at her before whispering to North, "Shouldn't you tell her about the center, mate?"

North's big blue eyes widened before nearly spitting out the sip of coco he just drank. "I nearly forgot!" He clapped Bunnymund on the shoulder, making the large bunny knock his glass onto the ground. Bunnymund frowned at the jolly man before he ducked under the table to retrieve his glass.

"Flora, do you know what it means to have a center?" North said. He shoved his plate aside and focused his attention to the fairy. She looked up at his question with a confused look.

"Center?" There was no doubt of the confusion in her voice. "What do you mean by center?" She arched an eyebrow.

"A center is what's inside of you." Tooth explained. "It's who you are, what you're here for. It's what makes you a Guardian. Your center is what's underneath all your layers. Take North for example." She gestured to the Russian man. "He's kind and sweet, but he can also be scary and mean. He can be fearless, but frightened at the same time. But underneath it all, his eyes can be opened to the wonder of the world. He can look at things and see each potential for it. He can feel the magic in the simple things, like a warm cup of tea or a wonderful book. This makes him the Guardian of Wonder."

"Then what's my center?" Flora asked. Bunnymund glanced at North uneasily. Sandy frowned slightly.

"You must discover it on your own." Tooth said gently. She placed a feathered arm on Flora's hand. "It's inside you, hidden under all of your layers. You have to dig it out in order to know who you really are."

"Good explanation, Toothie." Bunnymund clapped his hands sarcastically. "Maybe now you can tell us why Pitch is stronger." He rolled his eyes. Tooth glared at him harshly. Sandy shook his head at the rabbit.

"Maybe it's because the children are growing weak with their faith." Tooth said. The baby hummingbirds around her head twittered with their agreement.

"Maybe it's because you won't let meh get back to meh Warren to prepare for Easta'!" Bunnymund exclaimed. "I gotta paint the eggs and hide them or else the children won't believe!"

"I think we need to protect Flora if we're going to take Pitch seriously." Jack said. He glanced at her. "Maybe she could go with you to the Warren so you can watch her."

"Good idea, Jack!" North exclaimed. He patted an open mouthed Bunnymund on the shoulder. "She will go with you to Australia to help with your eggs."

"Um, I don't mean to be rude, but I'm no child. I can take care of myself." Flora said. She snapped her fingers and a lily grew out of the wooden table. "And I have my own duties as Mother Nature."

"She said she can take care of 'erself." Bunnymund pointed at her as Jack gaped at the lily. "Come on, North. You don't expect for her to come to the Warren."

"I want our new friend to be safe. By day you can assist her with her flowers, and by night she will in turn help you with your eggs." North said sternly. "We have to make sure she is well cared for." He turned to Flora. "You can stay here if you'd like. We all have a room in my castle. Phil will take you to your room now. If it's not to your liking, then I'm sure you can decorate it to your pleasure." His eyes twinkled and Bunnymund suddenly realized he was giving her permission to grow plants in the room. Phil the yeti appeared in the door way and Flora stood to walk to the door. Bunnymund watched with amazement as the flowers grew where she stepped.

"Now Bunny, tell me why you don't like Flora." North said. His eyes flashed excitedly. Bunnymund turned from the doorway and faced four smirking Guardians. "She nice girl. She pretty girl. She smart girl. She talented girl." North shrugged. "What's not to like?"

"Or is there too much to like?" Jack grinned. He dodged a boomerang that was thrown at his head.

"I 'ave nothin' against her," Bunnymund stood. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go to me Warren and paint some eggs."

"Take Flora with you." Tooth suggested. She glanced at the lily growing in the table. "Maybe she could plant you some new flowers."

"No. I'll come get 'er in the mornin'." Bunnymund stood from the table. "I can't believe you're doin' this to me, mate! I thought we were friends!" He whispered pleadingly to North. He tapped the ground with his large foot and was about to hop in when something fell from his belt. It was the purple aster flower the shelia gave him. He scowled and left it on the floor as he jumped into the hole that took him home.

Tooth sighed. "He'll come around. I know he will." She rose out of her chair and fluttered her wings to the fireplace. She picked up the portal snow globe that sat on the mantle and asked, "Can I use this to get home? I have to get ready with some last minute details for tonight."

North nodded and watched as she threw it into the air. The flashing lights of the portal surrounded her as she walked into her tooth palace. North got up from his chair and started to take some of the dishes to the sink. Jack stared at the lily that was growing in the table and noticed it was wilting.

"Uh, North? We have a problem." Jack stared at the flower. North started to wash the dishes and was about to respond when Phil the yeti rushed in and started to ramble in Yetish to him.

"What's that?" North exclaimed. Sandy looked up worriedly at the two. Phil waved his arms around animatedly. "I go to her." North looked back at Sandy and Jack and gestured for them to follow him. They raced out into the hallway, tripping over elves and knocking over yetis in the process. They noticed the flowers growing where Flora walked were wilting steadily. They all had an idea of what was happening to the fairy.

"Flora!" North gasped when they reached the room she was given. At first he didn't see her, but Jack pointed to where she had pressed herself into a corner and was sobbing freely. There was a dark shadow in front of her advancing towards her with its arms stretched out in front of it, like how the shadow earlier that day did. Flora screamed and shot a vine out of her palm, but it went straight through the shadow. She looked up at the three Guardians in the doorway sorrowfully. North noticed how her eyes were almost black with fear. Pitch can do that to even the strongest of men.

The shadow turned and saw the Guardians. It exploded into a cloud of dust and disappeard. When it was gone, Flora crumpled to the ground in a heap. Her wings stuck out at odd angles and her hair was splayed out around her. Jack rushed forward and checked for a pulse. "She fainted from fright," He said quietly. He looked down at Flora. He turned her over so she was on her back. Her face was screwed up in fear and emotional pain. Sandy floated forward and opened her eye. It was still black with fear. The little golden man shuddered and closed it gently. He sprinkled some sleep dust on her face to help with the nightmare. At once her face was at ease; peaceful, even.

"What do we do?" Jack asked. He looked down to the girl on the floor. She slept with a thin smile on her face, and flowers started to grow all around them. Her room was slowly becoming like a forest. Tiny saplings grew along the walls while grass grew through the stone. North was awed by the girl's powers. He could see why Pitch wanted to use her powers for evil. Jack gasped as flowers suddenly bloomed all around him. Even the bed had flowers growing on it. Sandy grinned and clapped his hands, thrilled from the flora. Jack lifted flora into his arms and looked at North. "What do we do?"

North could only rub his chin as Jack and Sandy took the girl to the infirmary. Two attacks from Pitch in one day? How desperate was he for the girl? For the first time in years, North didn't know what to do.

* * *

In this chapter, Flora gets told what a center it. Even though Flora's been around since, like, forever, she doesn't normally interact with others. Sure, she grows plants around humans, but she doesn't really talk to other mythical people like her. That's why she doesn't know what a center is.

And as always, leave a review!  
Thanks for reading(:


	7. Chapter 7

Hi everyone! I hope you had a wonderful holiday- be it Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or even if you don't celebrate a winter holiday, then I hope you've had a fantastic last few days.

I haven't posted in the last few days because I was celebrating Christmas with my family. I wrote this chapter during that time period, and I'm about to start on the next one.

In this chapter, I'm worried that Bunnymund might be a little OOC, but I tried my best to keep him in character.

Oh, and I wanted to explain something about the last chapter. When Flora is under stress, her flowers wilt. When she is happy, her flowers bloom extravagantly. Remember that Pitch is trying to mess with her mind! Basically, her powers are tied with her emotions and feelings. I promise that it will all come together in the end.

Disclaimer: I don't own RotG.

Enjoy!

* * *

It was dark. Scarily dark. Flora didn't like it, she felt trapped in the darkness. She tried to open her eyes but they felt too heavy. She was awake but she couldn't see. Was she blind? No, she just felt like she was floating around in the darkness like a lost dandelion fluff. She felt so cold, so alone. She wanted someone near her, or at least to be able to see. She tried to open her eyes again. No luck. She could hear voices without bodies floating around in her ears; clearly someone was nearby.

"I should've taken 'er with me to the Warren!" A gruff Australian voice said. A soft hand stroked her hair. The hum of wings fluttering together tickled Flora's ears. "If I did then she wouldn't be in the infirmary! She wouldn't have been attacked!" _I was attacked?_

"Aster, there was no way you would know Pitch was going to send someone to try and take her." This voice was kind and soothing. Flora suspected it was Tooth. The hand softly pushed Flora's hair out of her face. "If anything, we should be grateful she's alive." She sighed. Flora felt a soft paw trace her cheek. His paw was slow, almost gentle. The gesture was unexpected and sweet and took Flora by surprise. Flora felt butterflies erupt in her stomach. Wait, why did she feel fluttery from Bunnymund? He was nothing but a grumpy old rabbit. _Ah, but you're wrong about that,_ a voice in the back of her head said. _There are many things about Bunnymund that you don't know yet._

"And I'm upset that I let my pride get in the way." Bunnymund said roughly. "I should've just taken her with me, or at least stayed here for a few more minutes." Flora heard a soft _tut _from Tooth.

"Even if you stayed it would have happened. Pitch could've followed you or he could've attacked the Warren. What's done is done and we can't change it." Tooth sighed again and smoothed back Flora's hair. There was a short pause and Tooth said, "She looks so beautiful."

"And peaceful." The gruff voice said reluctantly, although now it was not so gruff. Tooth laughed softly. Flora heard Bunnymund shift his feet around nervously. "I'd, uh, better get back to the Warren. Eggs, ya know?"

"Aster, there's no need to hide from her." Tooth said gently. What did she mean by that? "Stick around for a while. You know you have to be with her today. Why not just stay until she wakes up?"

There was a pause, and Flora heard him sit down in a chair. She listened as their conversation turned to idle talk about Easter. The talk of new beginnings made Flora feel stronger. Her eyelids fluttered slightly. She opened her eyes slowly to see Bunnymund staring at her with a look of relief on his face. Flora caught herself smiling back at him before they both realized what they were doing and looked away awkwardly. Tooth smiled down when she realized Flora was awake.

"Well, good morning, sleepyhead!" Tooth said and took her hand off of Flora's head. "How are you feeling?" Flora propped herself up. The lights flashed in front of her and she almost passed out. She held her head in her hands and groaned.

"Take it easy there, shelia. We don't want 'cha passin' out again." Bunnymund gruffly announced. He patted her arm softly. He drew his arm away sharply as though he was burned. Flora looked at him oddly but decided to ignore what just happened.

"What happened?" Flora rubbed her head. Her mind felt as though it was squeezed through a strainer. She glanced at Tooth. "Fill me in."

"Yeh don't remember?" Bunnymund asked her, shocked. Flora shook her head. "How could yeh not remember?"

Tooth glared at the bunny. "Aster!" Tooth looked uneasily at Bunnymund before she rose out of her chair.

"Maybe you should tell her, Aster. I have to… uh, go check on my fairies." She winked at Flora as she fluttered out of the infirmary, almost knocking Phil over in the doorway. Bunnymund ran a hand through his fur. Flora watched the door swing shut confusedly. What was the Tooth Fairy doing?

"Bloomin' fairy," The bunny muttered, taking the chair by Flora's head. Flora sat up all the way and Phil, seeing that she was awake, rushed over wearing a traditional and old fashioned Red Cross nurse's hat and tried to force hot soup down Flora's throat. She sputtered and forced the soup away from her.

"I don't need to eat," She gasped, choking on a piece of carrot. She pointed to the bright, sunlit window. "I use the sun as energy most of the time." She swallowed the carrot and made a noise of disgust. She coughed and drank from the glass of water that was on her bedside table. Putting the glass down, she turned to Bunnymund as Phil walked away grumbling to himself in Yetish. "Well? Are you going to tell me what happened?"

Bunnymund sighed and looked her straight in the eyes. He tried to think of a way to sugarcoat the words he was about to say, but then decided against it. _Better to tell 'er straight up, yeah?_ He thought to himself. He hoped it was the right thing to do. Damn that Tooth Fairy for leaving him in this situation!

"Pitch sent a Fearling to get you. 'e wanted to scare you enough so he could take you back to his cave and use you for his own needs. We're not sure, but we think he wants you to plant fear as though it was a seed so it could grow and spread throughout the world." Bunnymund watched as her face was blank with shock at first. Slowly her face hardened into anger. Her eyes flashed and it looked as though there was a fire in those deep emerald eyes. A vine creeped its way through the railings of the hospital bed and grew sharp thorns. Flora shook her head as though to clear the anger. She took a deep breath and the fire in her eyes was out. She snapped her fingers and the thorns on the vine turned into jasmine. A sickly sweet smell permeated through the infirmary. _What the bloody hell just happened? _ Bunnymund stared at her questioningly. She smiled back sweetly.

"Can you help me to the window?" Flora drew back the blanket and looked down. She was in a revealing hospital gown. She put the blanket down and if Bunnymund had skin he would have blushed. "Uh, maybe we should start with you handing me my dress. It's probably over there," She pointed at the wardrobe in the corner of the infirmary. Bunnymund hopped to the wardrobe. He opened it to ten new dresses. Various styles and colors made Flora gasp with surprise. Her previous dress was in there, but it was washed and someone had re-stitched some of the beads that had fallen off.

"Wow." Flora said as she got an eye full of the different fabrics. "Who made these?" She got up and shakily put her feet down on the ground. She took step after step, holding onto the bed and various furniture pieces as she stumbled to the wardrobe. Bunnymund offered his hand but she declined it, choosing to try and fly instead. She fluttered an inch or two off the tiled floor.

"Just put one on so I don't feel uncomfortable." Bunnymund threw a random dress at Flora and turned to face the open window to give her privacy. The cold winter air blew onto his face, rifling his fur and making his nose twitch. He thought of the Warren and of all the eggs that needed to be painted. He couldn't believe North made him spend the day with that wretched fairy. A whole day- wasted! Luckily, Easter was in four days. He could paint all the eggs in four days. Hopefully.

"What are you thinking about?" A small voice asked. Flora stood next to him at the window. She had changed into a soft pink dress. The dress flowed down to her ankles in a shimmery, flow-y pink fabric. The skirt had many layers, with the skirt looking higher in the front and lower in the back. Her sleeves were long, reaching the ground in with a flutter. Flora's hair was tied back and there was a lily in her hair.

Bunnymund quickly composed himself, for his shock did not go unnoticed. She smiled again and held out her hand. In her palm there was an aster flower. He scowled.

"Nothin'." He said gruffly. He turned and hopped away from the window. Flora took his place and opened her wings to the sunlight. Her face brightened up and flushed with color. She jumped up onto the window to open her wings more to the sun. She held her arms out and bloody _jumped _backwards out into the open air.

Bunnymund gasped and ran to the window. He stuck his head out into the below freezing air and looked down at the cliff underneath him. Flora was nowhere to be seen.

"Flora!" Bunnymund shouted. His voiced echoed back at him from the mountainous land: _Flora, Flora, Flora, Flora…._Where did the bloody fairy get off to? "Flora!"

"Aw, so you do care!" A voice from above him said. Bunnymund looked up to see Flora on the wall, propped up on her hands as though she was having a grand old time. Her wings were fluttering furiously to keep her suspended in the air above the window. "How sweet."

Bunnymund scowled. "You let me think you fell to your death just because you wanted to see my reaction?" She nodded. "You're a nuisance, you know that?" He angrily hopped away from the window. He heard footsteps in the hallway outside of the infirmary. North poked his head in. The door was pushed open by Phil, still wearing that stupid hat. The yeti growled when he saw that Flora wasn't in her bed. He turned to North and grumbled something in yetish before throwing his hat on the ground and storming out of the room. North started laughing and his big round belly shook. Giggling was heard from the window. Bunnymund turned to see Flora sitting on the window ledge, ankles crossed, hands folded delicately in her lap. He scowled at her.

"Well, it is good to see you better, yes?" North asked, his eyes twinkling. Flora rose from the window and stood on the floor next to Bunnymund. She smiled warmly at the jolly Russian man.

"I'm feeling much better, thank you." Her voice was clear and sweet. It made Bunnymund's ears twitch. The smell of Jasmine still attacked his sensitive nose. Flora smiled at North with the look of an angel. Bunnymund rolled his eyes.

"Are you sure?" Tooth poked her head in the door. A hummingbird flittered into the room and collided into Bunnymund's head. He swatted them away and they flew back to their mother. "That was a nasty experience for anyone to handle."

"I'll say," Jack floated in through the open window. "I nearly had to change my-"

"Jack!"

"I mean, uh, I was scared too, and I wasn't even the one being attacked." Jack shrugged sheepishly. Tooth shook her finger at him before turning to smile at Flora.

"Flora, dear, if you want to stay and rest a little more…" Tooth held her hand out.

"No thanks," Flora held her hands up. "I've intruded long enough. I should get going with my duties." She turned to the window and flew to the window sill. A rough yank on her ankle pulled her back into the room.

"Not yet, shelia," Bunnymund growled. "We've got to talk." Flora frowned slightly and pulled her ankle from his grasp. She stayed where she was, crossing her arms and hovering about a foot in the air off the tiled floor.

"You don't intrude!" North laughed again and held his belly. "Flora, we welcome you here. We are a family here. We love each other here." At the last sentence Bunnymund scowled. Tooth squealed and rushed to hug Flora.

"Did you hear that?" Tooth said as she squeezed Flora. Flora gasped for breath, making Jack howl with laughter. "We're family now!" Tooth swung Flora around. Golden dust was sprinkled onto Bunnymund. He tried to shake it off.

"What is this stuff?" He brushed some off of his arm. His fur literally glowed goldenly. Even North chuckled at him.

Flora managed to push Tooth away. She took a deep breath and smoothed her pink dress. "I already told you," She said. "That's sunshine dust. I use it to help my flowers grow."

"About the flowers," North walked and took Flora's hand, guiding her to the floor. Tooth zoomed away to stand next to Jack. "We think it won't be safe for you to go out and-"

"And what, not grow anything?" Flora exclaimed. "I have fields to cultivate, forests to grow, gardens to protect. I have to create more species of flowers; I have to encourage farms to live. If I spend any more time here, everything will die." Her eyes narrowed. "And I'm not about to let the earth die."

"Yeah, but if you do go out then Pitch might try to kidnap you again!" Jack walked forward and leaned on his staff. "If he does that, then the whole world would be in danger!"

"Bunnymund said something about Pitch wanting to misuse my powers to literally plant fear." Flora said, staring straight at North. "Is that even possible? You can't _plant_ a feeling."

North glared at Bunnymund. "Why did you tell her? I was supposed to be the one who told her!"

Bunnymund held up his hands. "Hey, mate, no need to get angry, yeah? Tooth was the one who told me to tell her." The Tooth fairy winced and shook her head. North turned to her angrily.

"You!"

"No, no, not me!" Tooth waved her hands. "Jack was the one who said Bunnymund should tell her!" She pointed at the boy. Jack jumped back and tried to hide behind Tooth. She gave him a look and flew above him. Her wings beat furiously together as Jack tried his best to look innocent.

"And you decided to listen to him?" Bunnymund said. Tooth scowled at him as he rolled his eyes. "I can't believe it." North ignored Bunnymund's comment and looked at Jack.

"Why, in Mother Russia's name, would you tell Tooth that?" North was obviously trying to keep calm. Jack held his staff out in front of him to protect himself.

"Sandy told me to!"

"Oh, so now we're blamin' the only one of us who can't talk? Brilliant." Bunnymund shook his head. He tapped the ground and a giant hole appeared. "I'll be off, then."

"No. Stay, Aster." Tooth said. She gave him a look. One of her hummingbirds chirped. Bunnymund sighed and tapped his foot again. The hole disappeared.

"I'm not really sure what just happened, but…" Flora said. She floated to the ground and flowers immediately grew from the tiled floor from her graceful step. "Why can't I just go and live my life? I have to go back out there to help the children. They love my flowers, and the flowers help keep their sadness at bay. That's why I need to go back out there. I don't care about Pitch, I just have to back."

There was a silence to her words. The whole room stared at her in shock. Bunnymund felt something stir within him. _Maybe there was something about her that you don't fully understand, _a voice in his head said. _Maybe there's more than meets the eye. _

"And that is why you are Guardian." North said quietly. "You care more for the children than anything else." Tooth nodded her head excitedly. North continued. "We have decided that you can go back to your duties, but with one condition."

"Which is?" Flora quipped. She rose into the air again. Bunnymund realized what was about to happen.

"No, North. I told yeh last night. I'm not goin' with her." Bunnymund crossed his arms. Flora looked at him.

"What does he mean, 'not going with me?'" Flora asked. She waited for an answer from the Russian man. "Was there some kind of plan to protect me? I don't need protection," She added. She took the lily out of her hair and held it in her hands. She twisted the leaves off the stem. They floated to the ground.

"Flora, Bunnymund will assist you during the day. This was decided last night at dinner. Do you remember what happened?" Tooth asked.

"A lot of stuff that happened last night is all a blur." Flora waved her hand to dismiss the truth. She hooked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "But that's not the point- the point is that I don't need any protection."

"Flora, you know that's not the truth." Jack suddenly said. It was the first time Flora heard him say something mature and grown- up. Flora looked at him with hurt and shock and anger in her eyes. She walked to the window and dropped the lily out of the window. "You need to be protected. This isn't a time to be stubborn. This is a time to think of the children."

"Let us help you," Tooth pleaded. One of her twittering hummingbird fairies chirped and nodded its head.

Flora was silent. She fiddled with her fingers as flowers popped up out of the tiles to surround her. Bunnymund didn't know what to think about her. He knew she didn't want to be protected- it was almost like she was insulted that the other Guardians cared for her. He knew she didn't want to be surrounded by others. He knew she was by herself for the longest time- and that she had gotten used to being alone. She probably only knew what it felt like to be invisible and alone.

Flora thought about the plants. She needed to go back out to the world to help spring arrive. She had at least two forests she knew that needed to be tended to, as well as her own garden. She kept coming back to what North said- "_We are family now," _he had said. Did she really want a family after years of not knowing what it was like to have someone who was there for her, someone who cared for her?

She was quiet for a long time before she looked up with her eyes bright and shining. A grin slowly unfolded itself against her pretty face. The sunshine dust that forever coated her arms glowed. She fluttered her wings as she rose excitedly into the air. She looked North in the eyes. His blue eyes were filled with joy as she opened her mouth.

"I'll do it."

* * *

Thanks for reading! Leave a review if you hated it or if you liked it. I want to know your opinion! :)


	8. Chapter 8

Hi! Sorry I haven't posted a chapter in a long time. School got in the way. Excuses, excuses, I know, but I'm going to try and post a chapter every Thursday or Friday from now on. Thanks for sticking around, and I promise to update next week!

Disclaimer: I don't own RotG, just Flora.

* * *

Bunnymund groaned. _What the bloody hell was she doing now? _Flora had dragged him to a field of tulips in Amsterdam. The brightly colored flowers waved at him and seemed to laugh at him. She flew from one flower to the next, sprinkling that stupid dust on each individual bloom. Her hair flew out from behind her as she tended each flower. She abandoned trying to keep her hair pulled back when she first tried to fly over the blooms. She said something along the lines of, _"It doesn't feel as personal," _whatever that meant. Bunnymund scoffed. What a nut job.

When Flora had said finally said yes to have someone go with her to do her work, Bunnymund secretly hoped North would make Jack go. Or maybe even go himself. But, no, North had insisted on Bunnymund being the person who guarded Flora while she helped the flowers grow. The pair both tried to back out of it.

"Tooth would be a better choice; she at least can _handle_ being nice to me-"

"Tooth would be a helluva lot better at this than me! And besides, with Easter comin' I have to paint the eggs." Flora's words registered in his brain. "Wait, what do you mean by '_handle_'? I can bloody _handle _you-"

"But does Tooth have tiny crush on Flora?" North had said, eyes twinkling like stars. Bunnymund opened his mouth in shock. Flora did as well. _Did he really just say that? _"No. Besides, you have boomerang to protect her with." If Bunnymund had skin he would have flushed scarlet, which is exactly what Flora did. Her cheeks were as pink as her dress. She refused to look at him. Bunnymund only wished he could do the same (refuse to look at her, that is).

Bunnymund tried his best to think of another reason to not be the one who watched her. "I have to paint eggs!" He tried not to look at Jack or Tooth, who both laughed silently behind North. Jack fell over from laughing so hard while Tooth held her hands over her mouth to try and keep her giggles behind her fingers.

"He has to paint eggs!" Flora agreed. She looked up hopefully at North, who in return smiled in that maddening way North could smile when he had an idea and wouldn't let it go.

In the end, the big Russian man had to threaten them with telling Phil the yeti that they were both ill and needed the most intensive care. Phil rushed to them, overhearing the conversation, and jammed his nurse's hat back on his furry head. Bunnymund and Flora both looked at each other in fear. Bunnymund tapped his foot on the floor and he and Flora jumped into the burrows, the labyrinth of tunnels under the ground. Flora laughed as Phil yelled after them in anger. Bunnymund suppressed a chuckle as he bounded after Flora. She seemed to know where to go, and he wasn't about to argue with her. Actually, he wanted to, but he didn't want to make this any worse than it was. He really didn't like her. She's nothing but a simple fairy.

_Lies, _a voice in his head had said. _You think there's something under all those layers of hers. _

Bunnymund rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. He waited patiently while Flora flew from flower to flower. She talked to them and tickled their leaves. She danced in between the rows of tulips; she laughed and sang songs. It really was quite amazing to see her at work. Bunnymund could tell she cared deeply for the flowers. If he looked closely he could tell the flowers interacted with her; some of them would bob their heads when she twirled past, others would open their petals as though they were saying hello.

A cold wind blew across the field suddenly and took Flora by surprise. Her face was a look of shock as she tumbled in the wind like a ragdoll. Bunnymund smirked as she flew around the flowers, trying to escape the blow of the wind. A chuckle behind Bunnymund made him turn around, boomerangs aloft, expecting the worst.

A white haired teenager stood behind him, grinning like he got caught in a big prank. Bunnymund suspected he was the one who created the big gust of air. The boy leaned on his staff and opened his mouth to speak.

"It's not that bad, Bunny. You should at least _try_ to look like you don't want to kill yourself." Jack Frost put his hands in his pockets. He laughed again at Flora as she did cartwheels in the air. "_She_ looks like she's having fun."

"Yeah, well, try having fun when you're babysittin' a girl who has the attention span of a squirrel," Bunnymund said grumpily. He slid his boomerangs back into his belt. By this time Flora had stopped doing cartwheels and various acrobatic movements in the air and now hovered over the flowers. She snapped her fingers and the field of bright red tulips turned orange. Bunnymund groaned and Jack laughed loudly. She snapped her fingers again and the petals turned to the same color as the sun. A lone man walking on the road by the field suddenly noticed the flowers changing colors. He stood and stared open mouthed at the field. Flora hadn't noticed and snapped her fingers again, this time turning the flowers a hot pink. Jack rolled on the ground laughing.

"Oi, shelia!" Bunnymund growled. Flora looked up at him with a huge grin on her face. He nodded in the direction of the man. Since he couldn't see the Guardians, all the man saw were the flowers changing colors. Flora glanced over at him and giggled in surprise. She snapped her fingers one last time, turning the flowers back to red, and flew to Bunnymund. The man could only stare in shock at the field before he ran off.

"Sorry," Flora sighed blissfully as she landed softly in the dirt next to Bunnymund. "I just get so excited when I visit Amsterdam." She grinned at him before she noticed Jack, who now lay on the ground. She cocked her head at him. "When did you get here?" She smiled hesitantly.

Jack stood hastily and shoved his staff behind him. "I was just leaving. I'll see you guys later." He jumped into the air and the wind carried him away. Bunnymund desperately wanted to trade places with him, seeing as how Jack's and the fairy's personality were fairly similar. They would have a grand old time. Flora waved goodbye at him until he was just a speck in the distance. She turned to Bunnymund. Her face fell. "You don't have to look like you want to kill yourself. This isn't that boring, is it?"

Bunnymund almost smiled. She used almost the same exact wording as Jack. He glanced behind her at the field. "Are yeh done here?"

Flora's gaze turned back to the flowers. "I guess." She blew a small gust of air out of her mouth and the flowers danced happily in the wind. She smiled as a little girl who walked with her parents on the road ran to the tulips and picked one. She squealed joyfully and ran back to her mom. The mother laughed gaily as the little girl danced around with her new prize. The father chased the little girl around, making the toddler giggle and hide behind her mom. Flora sighed contently and gazed at the happy family.

"I wonder what that's like," She said, staring at the family with such intensity Bunnymund wondered if they could feel her eyes on them. Her eyes were so full of wonder it would give North a run for his money.

"What what's like?" He asked, and mentally slapped himself. _You don't like her, so stop trying to get to know her!_ He told himself sternly. He scowled. She was nothing but a fairy.

She looked at the happy people walking off and said softly, "To have a family."

_Damn, she pulled a fast one on him. _He watched her stare after the mother and father as they held the little girl's hands. Her brown hair blew in the wind and his sensitive nose picked up her smell, a mixture of flowers and the scent of sunshine. Her pink dress billowed around her thin legs as she turned from the family to face him. Her big emerald green eyes searched his equally as green eyes.

Bunnymund cleared his throat awkwardly and scratched his head. "What do you mean by that?" He held his breath and waited for her to answer. Why he was asking her, he didn't know. He just wanted to get this day over with.

She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear before responding. She fiddled with her fingers, a habit Bunnymund noticed she had when she was nervous or stressed out. She opened her pale pink lips slowly. "I've been alone for the past three hundred years. I have no memory of who I was before I became Mother Nature. I don't know if I had a family, if I lived a long and happy life, if I had friends…" Her voice had turned emotional. Flora took a deep breath and tucked another lock of hair behind her ear. She narrowed her eyes at him. "Do you know what that feels like? Do you know how it feels to be alone for years on end?"

Bunnymund scowled back at her. "I'm the last of my people. I know what it feels like to be alone. But I_ have_ a family, and they're called the Guardians." He paused. "We protect each other as well as the children."

Flora sighed. "Don't bring that up. I don't even know why Man in Moon made me a forest fairy, much less a Guardian." She looked up at the sky. The clouds looked dark and promised rain. "We should get going."

"Wait, you don't remember your previous life?" Bunnymund asked. The same thing happened to Jack. Once Tooth gave him his teeth he remembered everything about his past.

"Yeah, why?" Flora narrowed her eyes. _Why is she so judgmental? As Mother Nature, isn't she supposed to be sweet and caring?_

"When Tooth collects the teeth, she not only protects them, but she also protects the memories inside them. They hold the most important memories of childhood. If a child ever forgets the magic of childhood, Tooth would bring the little ankle biter his or her teeth to remind them of what's important. She could do the same for you."

Bunnymund watched as Flora digested this information. She looked up at him hopefully. "Would she do that? For me?"

"I guess, yeah," Bunnymund said. He brushed some stray sunshine dust off her face slowly. Her skin was soft to the touch and he briefly remembered how he touched her cheek this morning. When he realized what he was doing he dropped his hand like it was on fire. Flora blushed and daintily fluttered her wings and rose to his height.

"I'd like that. I'd like to know who I was before this," She gestured to herself, implying her powers. "I hope Tooth has my teeth."

"Where do yeh need to go now?" Bunnymund looked away from her. He felt something stir in his gut; a mixture of butterflies and nerves. He hoped to God she didn't notice how he suddenly got shy. He was never shy! He was the bloody _Easter Bunny_, he wasn't _allowed_ to be shy! He had to play these off, these… these _feelings_ for her. His heart sank when he finally realized that North was right. He _did_ have a tiny crush on Flora. Bunnymund snorted to himself. What, was he five now? Having "crushes" on immortal beings… What was he going to think next, that Phil the yeti was pretty? That Baby Tooth was a sexy little devil? Jesus Christ. He needed to get away from Flora. If only this day would go by faster! But at the same time, Bunnymund didn't want it to end.

While Bunnymund had his inner turmoil, Flora tapped her chin. She had no idea of the brainless thoughts that chased each other in his head. She was blissfully unaware of Bunnymund's mixed emotions towards her. She thought for a second before she said, "Hmm… I do need to visit two girls. I have to grow a forest later today, but I think I can reschedule that for tomorrow. I really want to see those girls again. Oh, let's go there next!" Her green eyes shone brightly. Her brown hair blew backwards in the wind. The sky opened up and a huge downpour started. They were drenched in seconds. "They live in England, the countryside."

Bunnymund tapped his foot on the ground per the request. He knew the tunnel would open up at wherever Flora needed to go. The hole opened up and Flora flew into it before he could even blink. "Race you!" She cried as she flew into the hole. Bunnymund rolled his eyes at her.

"Oi! You don't want to race a rabbit, mate!" Bunnymund yelped before he bounded in after her. His powerful legs caught up to her within seconds before he passed her. They both tried to outdo each other as they raced through the tunnel. Bunnymund briefly thought of letting her win but decided against it. It was a matter of pride. He sped up and smiled to himself when he heard Flora groan in frustration. He chuckled as the hole opened up and he popped out of the ground and into the English countryside. A small house stood in front of him and a pear tree stood to the left of him.

Flora flew out after him, gasping for breath. "How can you be that fast?" She wheezed, rosy cheeked. She smiled at him, making his heart flutter, before she looked at two bright flowers growing from the ground, a purple snapdragon and a yellow daisy. _Bloody hell, how can she be so infuriatingly happy? A few minutes ago she was blowing up in his face about not having a family!_ She giggled at the sight of them, and before Bunnymund could ask what she was doing, she flew up to the house and called softly, "Melody!" She landed on the porch with a graceful step. A vine crept up on the porch while a small herb plant grew next to the stairs. Bunnymund's nose twitched. It was rosemary, he decided by the sharp smell of the herb. The strong scent drifted to him from all the way across the yard. Bunnymund heard footsteps pattering through the house. Flora smiled widely. "Melody!"

A small blonde head popped out of the screen door. "Flora! You came back!" The little girl rushed to the fairy and hugged her, allowing the door to slam shut. The little girl grinned up at Flora. "I knew you would! Lily was doubtful that you'd come back but I knew you would!"

Bunnymund's big ears twitched. He heard another set of footprints walk to the back of the house and an older woman poked her head out of the door. "Melody, who are you talking to?" Bunnymund watched as her eyes scanned the yard. Her blonde hair matched the little girl's perfectly. "There's no one here."

Even though the woman was well past the age of childhood, it still stung that she didn't believe in him and the other Guardians. Flora winced at her words visibly, and the girl, Melody, gasped.

"Mama!" She scolded as well as an eight year old girl could. "How could you say such a thing?" She hugged Flora again. "Flora is right here. She's my best friend." Flora beamed at the little girl before she turned to Bunnymund and tossed him a wink. His heart skipped a beat as she turned away to face Melody again. She didn't notice his quick loss of breath, good. Bunnymund threw the thought of Flora winking at him away and couldn't help but suppress a smile as the little girl became distressed and insisted to her mother that she was hugging a real person. Flora inched her way out of Melody's grasp and bent down to her level. The mother sighed and went back into the house. The screen door slammed shut as she walked away.

"Melody, it's alright if she doesn't believe." Flora soothingly said as she wiped a tear from Melody's blue eyes. The little girl looked sadly at Flora as the fairy tucked some hair behind the former's ear. "Your mother is past the age of Childhood. Maybe she believed in us when she was younger, maybe she didn't, but it's alright. She grew up and moved on. It happens to a lot of people."

"Will it happen to me?" Melody tearfully asked. Her chubby cheeks had tracks of tears running down her face. "I don't want to grow up!"

"Oh, Melody, honey, you _will_ grow up one day," Flora said with a mischievous grin. Bunnymund twitched an ear to hear the rest of her sentence better. "But I have a feeling that you will _always_ believe in us. So don't cry, please? I'll grow you some yellow daises if you stop!" Flora hugged the little girl. Melody giggled and hugged her back. Flora broke the hug and wiped the tears off of Melody's face. "I brought a friend today, would you like to meet him?"

As Melody's eyes scanned the yard, Bunnymund realized it was him Flora was talking about. He had watched her comfort the little girl and saw that she had so much compassion within her. He was amazed at the care Flora gave to the little girl. He totally misjudged her. Sure, she was nothing but a blooming fairy that grew flowers, but she protected the children at the same time. And that was what made her a Guardian.

"Bunnymund?" Flora called. She peered around the porch and rose off the ground a few inches. She flew to the pear tree, where he was hiding behind the leaves and blossoms. "Come and meet Melody." She grabbed his hand and led him to the porch. Bunnymund was surprised at the touch of her hand against his. He felt the butterflies start up again in his stomach. He quickly pushed the feelings away when he hopped up to the porch. Melody gasped when she saw him. She squealed and jumped up and down when she saw the eggs in his belt.

"Are you the _Easter Bunny_?" She asked. She reached her hand out tentatively and touched his fur. She squealed again and rushed to hug him. Bunnymund was shocked by her sudden affection. What an ankle biter. Sophie did the same thing when she first saw him. Still does, in fact.

"I am," Bunnymund proudly confirmed. "And you're Melody, yeh little ankle biter." He tweaked her nose. Flora smiled at him and he found himself smiling back. He quickly wiped the smile off his face. He wasn't supposed to like her. He had to remind himself that.

Flora raised an eyebrow questioningly at him before she asked Melody, "Is your sister Lily home?"

Melody let go of Bunnymund briefly and answered, "Yes. She's in the kitchen. I'll go get her. Will you grow me some yellow daisies please?" Her blue eyes were filled with hope. She held her hands in front of her in a begging position. Flora laughed and said yes. Melody squealed again and ran inside the house, leaving Bunnymund and Flora on the porch alone. There was an awkward silence.

Bunnymund looked at her. "Are these the girls who believe in you?" Flora giggled at his question before she answered. She flew to the ground and crouched down. Bunnymund hopped down and sat on the steps next to her.

"If they didn't believe in me then they wouldn't be able to see me." She snapped her fingers and a small bed of yellow daises popped up near the porch steps. She smiled at him before she sprinkled some sunshine dust on the flowers. She waved her hand over the blooms and a shower of water fell from her fingers, watering the new blossoms. The petals opened up and looked up to the sun, eager to be alive and to drink in the water. Flora crooned and cooed at the flowers, whispering encouragement to the flowers. The screen door slammed open, breaking Flora of concentration. A scuffle of two people struggling to get out of the door was in front of the two Guardians.

"Move, Melody, you already got to talk to her!" A taller girl who looked about sixteen tried to push Melody out of the way. Her long blonde hair was in front of her face. "It's my turn!"

"Lily, you're hurting me!" Melody cried. "Stop pushing me!" Flora rose from the flowers and flew to the porch. She whistled once. The girls stopped struggling in the door and looked at Flora. She stared sternly at the sisters before her face broke into a grin. Bunnymund rolled his eyes at the squeals that were emitted from all three girls. _Bloody shelias. _

"Flora I'm so glad to see you!" The older girl, Lily, Bunnymund guessed, exclaimed as she hugged the fairy. Flora beamed at both girls.

"Lily, do you remember when I said there were others out there like me? Other mythological people?" Flora asked. She stepped on the porch. Wildflowers bloomed from where she stepped. She held her hand out to Bunnymund. He took her small hand in his big paw and jumped up onto the porch. "Well, this is one of them. This is Bunnymund, otherwise known as the-"

"Easter Bunny! Yay!" Cried Melody. She ran forward and hugged Bunnymund, wrapping her skinny arms around his middle as far as they would go. Lily looked at him in shock.

"You're the Easter Bunny?" She gaped at him. Her green eyes practically bulged out of her head. Her eyes traveled over him. "But you're so big! I thought the Easter Bunny was supposed to be small!"

Bunnymund scowled. "That's what a lotta people say, mate. But it ain't true, it was neva' true." He glanced at Flora. She told them about him and the other Guardians? Maybe she wasn't just a stupid fairy after all. Flora felt his gaze and lowered her eyes, cheeks pink with minor embarrassment. Melody looked up at him, her big eyes filled with curiosity.

Lily rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "What a downer." Bunnymund scowled at her.

"What? How can I be a downer? You only just met me!" Bunnymund exclaimed. Lily threw her arms in the air in a mock surrender, but the sarcasm was still evident.

"Do you fancy Flora?" Melody asked suddenly and innocently. The reactions to her simple words were rather disastrous. Bunnymund fell backwards off the porch while Flora sneezed in surprise violently and a rosebush popped out of the ground in the middle of the yard. Lily smirked as Bunnymund swore quietly and picked himself out of the yellow daisies. Flora laughed aloud at the roses that grew out of the ground. "I didn't know I could do that!" She exclaimed. Bunnymund rolled his eyes as he stood and brushed the petals off his fur.

"What- what makes you think that?" Bunnymund grumbled he crossed his arms and hopped back onto the stairs. "She's nothin' but a fairy." He snarled. He tried not to look at Flora's hurt face. He was lying, but they couldn't tell. He shivered as a cold wind blew into the yard. A dark and ominous feeling drifted towards the group on the porch. Bunnymund didn't notice the shadow rising out of the ground behind them. He didn't notice the sudden downfall of Flora's expression, or that the rosebush suddenly died by a single touch of the shadow's finger. The shadow stood silently and watched the group with interest. It quietly approached the porch, taking care to stay out of sight.

"A damn good fairy at that." Lily murmured. Her eyes travelled the yard. She noticed the rosebush and gasped. Flora turned around, trying to see what Lily gasped at, and cried out when she noticed the rosebush, dead. The shadow quickly melted into the ground upon hearing her cry. Flora flew to the dead plant and tried to bring it back to life by sprinkling sunshine dust on it, but, like the last time she tried to bring a plant back to life, nothing happened. Even though she was in distress Bunnymund couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. He then immediately slapped himself mentally and tried to assess the situation.

"How could this happen?" Flora muttered to herself. She touched a fallen petal and noticed a fine black dust on her finger tips. It sparkled in the sunlight and the screams of scared children echoed faintly from it. _Pitch. _She stood up and raised her eyebrows knowingly at Bunnymund. Her cheeks were still flushed from embarrassment and Bunnymund felt another wave of guilt run through him. He didn't have to be so mean; it was just his natural instinct to fight back.

"Girls, I want you to stay inside and keep your belief strong." Flora said as she walked back to the porch. "Stay away from this rosebush. I'll be back as soon as I can." She hugged both girls tight. She shooed them into the house, ignoring their questions and moans of disappointment. She closed the door behind them and sprinkled a pinch of sunshine dust on the door. She turned to Bunnymund with a determined look on her face.

"Let's go; I have to visit my garden." Flora crossed her arms. "Or do you not want to be seen with a fairy?" She threw his words back at him. Bunnymund stared defiantly at her and crossed his arms as well.

"Why do you need to go to your garden? Shouldn't we tell North that Pitch was here, following you?" Bunnymund asked her. Flora didn't back down from her stance.

"Why would I do that?" She narrowed her eyes. "And you didn't answer my question."

Bunnymund gulped silently. Even though she was a foot shorter than him she still terrified him slightly. He was about to answer her when she just rolled her eyes and rose off the porch.

"Let's just go," She said quietly and flew towards the yard. She waited for him patiently to open the hole in the ground. He hopped to her and touched her arm softly. She looked at him, surprised. Her big green eyes widened, and her wings furiously fluttered to keep her at his eye level. Her beauty astounded him. _Why hadn't he noticed her before?_

"Where do yeh need to go now?" He asked. He refused to meet her eyes; he wanted to apologize to her but he couldn't get the words out. Flora, with her weird women's intuition, probably knew what he wanted to say. Her face fell when they both realized he chickened out of apologizing and she sighed and told him where her garden was. He tapped his large foot on the ground and the usual hole appeared.

There was no mention of a race when Flora flew into the hole. Sunshine dust exploded into his face as he bounded after her. _That bloody sheila, throwin' that bloody sunshine dust in his bloody face… _Bunnymund thought to himself as he angrily spat it out of his mouth. It tasted like a summer's day. It tasted like sweet air.

It tasted like Flora.

Bunnymund shook his head. He _had _to stop thinking about her. If he didn't, well… he'd be in a tight pickle. He sighed as he bounded along the tunnel, following Flora. Sunshine dust shimmered in the air behind her as she sped onwards with her dragonfly- like wings. As if she could hear his thoughts, she shook her hair and more dust hit him in the face. He mumbled unintelligible words and wiped the fine, shimmery gold dust out of his eyes. She glanced back at him and smirked. He felt his head go fuzzy as she turned her head back around. Even when she didn't look at him she held his thoughts in the palm of her hand. The tunnel suddenly opened up and she flew out into the open. He took a second to look around the grassy tunnel wildly, wanting to give her something, anything, and grabbed a simple wildflower to hand her.

"Be careful when you first come out," He heard her sweet voice from the sunlight above him. "Ease yourself into the presence of the garden. Don't come out too fast or else you'll pass out."

Bunnymund didn't quite catch the last part that Flora said. He hopped out of the hole in the ground and was immediately woozy. He dropped the flower and held his head in his paws and stumbled into a tree. Bright colors invaded his vision and intoxicating smells attacked his nose. He glanced at the fairy to see her smiling gleefully at his pain.

"I told you to ease yourself into the garden." She chirped happily. Bunnymund fought to keep his eyes open. The garden made him feel loopy. Different shapes flew in and out of his sight. Flora's face in front of him was turning colors and the ground was sprouting bubbles. Technicolor flowers loomed in and out of his vision.

"I thought you wanted me to come fast," He slurred. He had no control of his speech. "I 'ave to protect yeh, yeh know." She scowled at his words and in the back of his mind he remembered that neither of them wanted to spend the day together.

He tried to keep himself upright, stumbling from tree to tree in a drunken- like state, until Flora took pity on him and helped him lay down. She held his face in her thin hands and smirked again. "You should see yourself, Bunny. You're not yourself." She gently smoothed his fur down. It brought a strange warmth to his gut that didn't come from the wicked garden.

He reached up to her face and pulled her close to his. "Aye, Flora, I neva' told yeh but I think… I think you're beautiful."

Flora's face, still turning all colors of the spectrum, turned quite still. He watched carefully as she calmly untied her bag of sunshine dust and grabbed a handful. She sprinkled it on his face and he felt the world slipping away from him. He angrily tried to claw his way back but ultimately lost the battle and lost consciousness.

The last thing Bunnymund saw before the world went black was Flora's smirking yet confused face above his.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

Hi again! Sorry for not posting in a really long time, I just wanted this chapter to be perfect.

* * *

…

_There was a dark haze of smoke drifting over the forest. Sparks flew off the mountain that surrounded the small valley. Black flames licked at the trees and flowers. A dark, chilling laughter could be heard echoing through the garden. Black sand fell from the finger tips of Pitch Black; it turned into black fire the moment it touched the ground. A single Nightmare whinnied at his side, laughing as well at the expense of the garden dying. Flora could only watch as her home was destroyed. Pitch poured sand over the apple tree, the first tree ever planted by Flora. The tree burst into the enchanted flames. Flora felt something stab her in the heart; the tree was the thing that kept her immortal, but with an enchanted fire…_

_Flora looked down, horrified, at her dark green dress and watched as black, sparkling sand poured out of her heart. She cried out and hopelessly tried to fly away. Everything drifted away slowly… laughter rang in her ears… someone was crying… yellow eyes stared out to her from a sea of black sand surrounding her… with a single, shuddering breath, she closed her eyes and felt everything slip away… _

…

* * *

It was the garden, Flora told herself as she rocked back and forth on her knees in her cave. It was the garden that made him say that. It does that to everyone who entered the garden the garden too fast for the first time. The smell of the flowers and the dazzling colors of the garden make them loopy and they can't control their thoughts or speech. It's kind of like a truth serum in that way. It makes them open up in ways the person never would when they had their head.

Flora sighed and tiptoed to the entrance of her cave and peered out. There was Bunnymund, still sleeping at the bottom of the apple tree. He looked so peaceful, so at ease. It was a shame that when he was awake he was so grumpy and agitated. She wondered if he was ever happy or if he ever even laughed a true laugh, not that snort thing he does when he finds something amusing.

Oh, who was she kidding? He never even smiled. Why would he need to laugh if he never smiled?

Bunnymund's last words before he passed out popped into her head: _I neva' told yeh but I think… I think you're beautiful._

Chills erupted over her tanned skin when Flora remembered the way Bunnymund had spoken in his intoxicated state. How this morning while in the infirmary he had touched her cheek with such care. She fluttered her wings and flew to the waterfall and looked at her reflection in the pond. She had a spare green dress in her cave that she had changed into, for she had felt ridiculous in the pink one. It was exactly like the green dress she had worn to visit the Guardians. She stared hard as her reflection. Was she beautiful? She couldn't tell. She was never the one to take pride in appearances. She was always too busy tending to her flowers to care about such petty things.

She pushed a lock of brown hair behind her ear and sighed. She crossed her bare feet and looked over at Bunnymund a few yards away; he snored under the first tree she grew. He twitched in his sleep, and his ears moved this way and that. Flora sighed again. It looked like he was going to be out for a while. She may as well do something productive while she waited for him to come to.

She cast once last glance at her reflection before she flew above the trees with a spurt of energy. She smiled as she passed through the trees, exhilarated to be in her garden once more. Was it only yesterday she was here? With the attacks from Pitch since then it felt like years since she flew above her garden. Why did he want her anyway? She shook her head to get the vague memory of Pitch out of her mind. No amount of nightmares could stop her from tending to the earth she loved so dearly! She would like to see him try and stop her from protecting the children with her flowers.

Flora threw a handful of sunshine dust over her favorite part of the garden, the area near her cave. The flowers and trees near the little waterfall seemed to shine brighter than the sun. Flora laughed and watched as her blossoms exploded into existence. A hibiscus bush grew next to the little pond. The beautiful petals seemed to wave at her in the wind. Flora grinned and waved back. Then the wind died down and Flora was left alone.

She hovered there, over the tree tops. She could just barely see Bunnymund through the branches below her. Flora glanced out to her left, where the forest stretched on for a few miles. This was the part of the garden Flora made when she was angry about no one being able to see her, about being so lonely. She spent ten long years in that area of the garden, emerging only to help the food production and growth for the humans. She stayed in that area when it had finally hit her that she was invisible to everyone.

_A young girl walked along the main road of a small town. It was not long after Flora had woken up in the cave and discovered her powers. By this time she had grown numerous forests and flowers, but this was the first town she had stumbled upon. It was dark and cold; the moonlight could hardly filter through the thick clouds that blanketed the night sky. Flora fluttered above the town, glowing faintly from the light coat of sunshine dust on her body. She was like a firefly in the sky. Her hair flew out behind her as she floated in midair and as she spotted the girl. Flora, not knowing where she was, decided to ask the girl. She landed a few yard behind her with a soft touch on the ground. People walked all around them, but they seemed to avoid the girl like the plague._

_The girl looked to be sixteen or seventeen, with long blonde hair and blue eyes. Her ankle length brown dress was plain and drab compared to Flora's short, body hugging deep green dress with beads._

_Flora walked next to her and said, "Hello, I'm not exactly sure of where I am. Could you please tell me what town this is?"_

_The girl didn't say anything. At first, Flora wasn't sure if she had heard her, so she repeated her question in a slightly louder voice. The girl looked straight ahead. Her eyes were slightly glazed. A jagged pale scare connected from her jaw to her eyebrow. Flora didn't know why, but she felt like she knew this girl._

_Flora whistled softly to get her attention. The girl still ignored her. Flora fluttered her wings a few times and landed a couple feet in front of her. She started to say something, but was stopped when the girl walked through her._

_Flora almost stopped breathing. Was she invisible? She touched her chest to make sure she was there. She felt a heartbeat, so that meant she was alive. She held her hand out in front of her to make sure she could move around like a normal person could and waved it around a few times. Sunshine dust sprinkled to the ground. Flora looked up at the girl, who had stopped walking and just stood there. Flora took a few steps back and watched as a few wild flowers popped out of the ground where her bare feet were just a few moments ago. An older woman with a girl about the same age as the girl walked through Flora and stopped at the girl. They both wore the same style of dress as the girl, though their dresses were black. Flora touched her neck and felt a pulse. She was alive, wasn't she? So then why did those people walk through her?_

_"Elizabeth Mayweather, is that you?" The older woman said. She exchanged a smirk with the girl whom Flora assumed was her daughter. "How are you doing?"_

_The blonde haired girl sighed and glanced at the woman. "Never better." The hurt and sarcasm was evident in her voice from the woman's question. The daughter smirked again and elbowed her mother in the stomach. The mother smiled softly back._

_"And how's your family? Are they still dealing with the death? Who's taking care of the garden now?" The daughter of the rude woman smiled gleefully. The blonde girl sighed and touched the scar on her face._

_"I'm taking care of the garden now." She said softly. She looked so distraught that Flora wanted to comfort her, but for some reason she wasn't able to be seen by the girl. "My parents said that she could grow anything. They said that wherever she walked flowers grew out of her footsteps."_

_Flora walked around them as wild flowers grew in her wake. Who were they talking about? What garden? Who was the girl? Where was she? Who died? And why could no one see her?_

_The woman looked down out of mock grief and gasped when she noticed the flowers that grew out of nowhere. The smirking daughter nearly screamed. They ran off in fright, causing the people around the girl to look at them oddly while the blonde girl, Elizabeth, smiled softly at the flowers._

_"I miss you, Flo." She said quietly. Flora stepped right in her face and peered into her eyes. Who was Flo?_

_The girl, still smiling, shook her head and walked through Flora once again as she went to a house with an expansive garden in the back yard._

_Flora touched her chest. Was she real? Was she alive?_

_Flora fluttered her wings and flew into the night sky. Tears pooled in her eyes, and when she allowed them to fall she noticed they were liquid sunshine dust. This made her cry harder. Why couldn't she be seen?_

_Was she not alive? Was the beating heart in her chest a lie?_

_Flora flew off into the night with her questions unanswered. She flew above the clouds and angrily shouted to the moon, "Why? Why can't I be seen? Am I invisible?"_

_The moon seemed to look down sadly at the fairy in the sky. It said nothing._

_It always said nothing._

Flora snapped out of her flashback. It was always painful to revisit the past, especially since she couldn't remember hers. Who was she before Mother Nature? Bunnymund had told her that the Guardians were mortal before they became who they were now. He said that Tooth had her teeth, and that the teeth held her memories. All she needed to do was ask Tooth to help her and then her questions will finally be answered. It was horrible, being alone in the world, before she met other creatures like her. The loneliness was crushing, suffocating, blinding. There were days when she couldn't even move from the extreme depression.

Flora shook her head. There was no need to go back down that path, she sternly told herself. She was a Guardian now, she had responsibilities. She had a reason to live now.

_Ah, but you weren't properly sworn in yet,_ said a nasty voice in the back of her head. _Maybe they don't want you. Maybe they changed their minds about you after all. Maybe you were meant to be left alone. _

Stop it, she shook her head again. She covered her eyes for a brief moment. _I won't go back there again._

When Flora took her slender hand away from her green eyes, she noticed a disruption in the garden. The birds had stopped singing and the gentle wind had stopped. There was a tense few seconds of complete stillness in the garden that made Flora feel uneasy. She felt like she and Bunnymund were no longer the only ones in the garden. She thought about flying to Bunnymund to wake him up, but what good would that do? What would she say to him anyway- _Sorry to wake you, Bunnymund, I just had a weird feeling about the garden and I want you to check it out for me?_ Hell no. She was a big girl, she could do this herself. She could take care of herself; after all, she _was _roughly three hundred and fifty years old.

There was a distant rumble of thunder. Flora looked up at the sky to see gray clouds closing in fast on the garden. Flora frowned. It never thunder stormed in her garden, it wasn't _supposed_ to thunder storm in her garden! There was a scheduled rain every afternoon at four o'clock, but even that was a light rain, a drizzle, even. There was no way that this rain was natural.

A sudden movement in the corner of her eye distracted Flora. A dark shadow flew over the canopy of trees like a giant bird prey swooping to catch its meal. A harsh wind blew Flora's hair back as she struggled to stay in the air. She felt the wind attack her wings; it made it hard for her to stay afloat. Flora watched in horror as sparkling black sand swirled through the air like a big black hole. It seemed to swallow all of the sunshine out of the air. The sand swirled around and around as it supported a tall, thin, pale man He stood there as his yellow eyes gleamed at her evilly from nearly thirty yards away.

"_Flora," _He said with mock sweetness. He had no need to project his voice. She could hear every word he said over the distant thunder with ease. "What a pleasant surprise. It's been far too long since we've last seen each other. Was it only yesterday? How have you been?"

Flora scowled. She said nothing. She clenched her hands tightly together. She could feel her powers building up in the palms of her hands. She didn't know if she would need to protect herself, but who was she kidding? This was Pitch Black. She would definitely need to protect herself, especially since Bunnymund was still asleep.

"Silence? Flora, I thought better of you. You know, it's rude when you don't respond to a question." He grinned suddenly, showing perfect white teeth. He snapped his fingers once and a thin stream of black sand almost like a whip wrapped itself around Flora's thin wrist. It tried to drag her closer to the black cloud of sand but Flora shot a ball of light at the sand and it exploded with a hiss. She held her wrist close to her chest and tried to put as much distance between her and the black cloud as possible. She was scared; she was really scared of Pitch. His yellow eyes were like lamp lights in the gloomy sky.

"Let's try that again. How are you today, Flora?"

Flora growled. "Do you really want me to answer that?" She scowled at him as she silently wondered if Bunnymund was awake yet. She fluttered from here to there above the trees, trying hard to not show her fear. She was determined to not let her feelings show. Some of the nightmare sand swirled into the shape of a horse, but it was unlike any horse Flora had ever seen. It was skeletal and it had yellow eyes just like Pitch himself. It trotted to Pitch, floating in midair, and the Boogeyman greeted it and pet it lovingly. It neighed angrily at him and pawed at the swirling cloud of sand. Pitch muttered something to it and the horse suddenly exploded with a _bang_; it sent the black sand all over the forest. Flora cried out when she saw a few trees fall, dead, from the sand. It made the earth tremble something terrible.

Pitch seemed to remember where he was. He jumped when he heard Flora cry out but quickly recovered. He flashed a grin and snapped his fingers and another whip of black Nightmare sand tried to wind itself around Flora's wrist. It tightened its grip on her thin wrist; there was an audible _crack _that was heard even over the harsh wind. Flora cried out in pain as Pitch said over her, "I think I do. You know, a little bird told me that you could make anything grow. You can coax pretty much anything out of the ground, am I correct?" Flora stared hard into those yellow eyes of his; the very same yellow eyes that haunted her dreams most nights. "I'll take that as a yes," he continued. The cloud of sand lowered itself into the garden. Flora flew as fast as she could to the ground and collapsed, panting, against an oak tree. They were in the darkest part of the garden. Pitch glanced at the fairy as she landed and made a satisfied smirk when he saw her against the tree as she clutched her wrist. He turned his back and walked to a tree and touched its bark; he knowingly made the tree's leaves turn brown. He chuckled softly and stood back to watch the tree die. He didn't notice Flora grit her teeth and stand, albeit shakily.

"You see, Flora, I am in need of a little assistance. Your powers and my plan will go hand in hand- that is, if you'll agree to help me. All I need you to do is take this little seed-" He turned to face her and showed her a seed the size of an apple seed. "And plant it, straight into the ground. Do you think you could do that for me? Or is that too much for a little fairy to handle?"

Flora bristled and stood up straight. She held her wrist close to her body and watched him as he strode to another tree and touched its limbs, effectively killing it. Flora could hear the screams of anguish that came from the tree. "What will that seed do?"

The man smirked. "What do you mean, what will the seed do? I thought you knew what seeds are for, aren't you _Mother Nature_?" He sneered and turned away from her sharply. "I should have known you were too simple minded for this." He laughed cruelly and suddenly turned into a shadow. The shadow sank into the ground and disappeared. Flora waited anxiously for it to appear again. She knew it would. Dark laughter echoed throughout the garden. She watched with wide eyes as the shadow grew out of the ground and approached her, causing her to back up to the tree. A hand placed itself over her mouth. Yellow eyes came out of nothing and the rest of his body did, too. He stared at her with such intensity it felt like she was drowning in ice cold water. Flora struggled to use her wings, but with no such luck- she was pinned against the tree. There was no chance of escape. He could do anything to her and no one would ever know.

He smirked when he finally saw the fear in her eyes. He had finally cracked her. He caressed her cheek with an unsteady hand, but it was nothing like how Bunnymund touched her. _Bunnymund! _She prayed he would wake up soon. Who knew she would actually want (or rather, need) him? A fire burned in her deep emerald eyes now that she knew she had a possible chance of escape. He noticed and grabbed her injured arm; he snickered when he saw the pain flicker across Flora's face.

"This seed contains something of my own creation." He whispered, leaning close to her ear. She shivered as she felt his hot breath on her cheek. It was nothing like the shiver Bunnymund gave her when he called her beautiful. Her sheer wings were crushed underneath her back as she moved her face away from his. "Once planted in the ground, it will take root and grow like a weed. The pollen given off by this plant contains a special little thing I like to call… fear. It will spread like an airborne disease, and then the Nightmare King will have his throne once again! Those rotten Guardians will never have a chance!" He paused to laugh. "Oh, and if you don't partake in my plan, then I will take away your powers, bit by bit," He snarled and practically pushed himself onto her. She scowled and tried to push him away, but he held on tighter. "And I'll start with those pretty little wings of yours." He grinned horribly, showing perfect teeth, his grip momentarily loosening on Flora. He touched her left wing.

No one, in Flora's memory, had ever touched her wings. Flora gasped when she felt his thin fingers on her wings. She struggled to flap them and fly away, but he held on quickly. He chuckled at her efforts to leave. He pinched the wing in between his finger tips and crumpled the tips. Flora let out a howl of pain- her wings were extremely sensitive. She gasped for breath as tears of pain pooled in her eyes. She felt something stir within her. A giant boil of emotions began to bubble as Flora stood there at the mercy of the Nightmare King.

"Now, Flora, do you agree to help me? I can promise you the riches of the world when we're through! We can rule the world, you and I. Look at what we can create—"

He let go of her wing and walked behind a tree. Flora took the chance to try and fly away, but found she couldn't fly. She glanced back at her wing, the one Pitch was holding, and saw that it was crumpled. She felt tears of despair sting at her eyes. _Her wings._ The crunch of footsteps told her that Pitch was about to come back. She made one last attempt to fly. Her feet barely even left the ground. Pitch saw her trying to fly and laughed. He held something out in his hands.

"Look at what we can create, Flora. Isn't it beautiful? Though not as beautiful as you, of course." She sneered at him and glanced at his hands. There- in his arms- was the ball of light she had shot at him. _I created a ball of light? How on earth did I do that? _It had blended with the nightmare sand and formed a sculpture of some sort. It glowed brightly and Flora could hear the screams of fear echoing from the ball. She scrambled away from it. Pitch advanced towards her. She backed away, repulsed from the ball.

"So what do you say? Will you help me?" Pitch offered her the ball of blended powers. Flora glanced at him. He sternly stared at her. She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted.

"Keep in mind that I will help you fulfill your heart's deepest desires. I will personally make sure that everyone will believe in you." He stepped closer to her. "And we'll rule the world, _together._"

Flora suddenly noticed that the ground was shaking softly. There was a quiet rumbling in the distance that wasn't the thunder that was above them. Voices distantly shouted at one another. Pitch grabbed her broken wrist and she shuddered with pain. He pushed the ball into her hands. "Remember that I will give you everything, more than what those stupid Guardians could ever offer." His voice faded away and a low laughter was heard as he slowly disappeared. Flora was left alone in the darkest part of the forest. She realized that her legs were shaking and she sat down on the ground. She knew that the Nightmare King was scary, but never had she ever been so terrified. She tried to forget what just happened as she held the ball in front of her. Well, if she could do it once, she could do it again…

Flora held her hand out in front of her and concentrated. A ball of light formed. Actually, it didn't really form, you see; it swirled out of nowhere into a ball of light. It was like the sunshine dust had drifted off of her skin and formed into a brighter, more powerful substance. Flora poked it. The ball of light just continued to swirl into a ball. It was like liquid sunshine.

Her broken wrist screamed in pain as she tried to stand. Stars flashed in front of her eyes and she flopped back to the ground in defeat. Flora breathed in the sound of silence quietly as the world faded away. She was lost in the sea of blackness once more. The thundering footsteps finally caught up to her. A light drizzle of rain fell through the tree's leaves.

_Flora!_

_Is she alright, is she hurt?_

_What happened?  
I feel pulse in her neck. Get her into sleigh, quick!_

_What's wrong with her arm?_

_Her wrist is broken, Jack. Don't move it around so much._

_Is she gonna be a'wright? Is the bloody fairy alive?_

_Yes, Aster. She's only unconscious. _

_Sleigh is ready. Get in and buckle up. _

_Wait! What's that ball right there?_

_Tooth, pick it up. We look at it when we get to workshop. Right now we need to get Flora safe. _


	10. Chapter 10

Hi guys! Happy Easter! I wanted to get this chapter posted quickly because around this time of year is when the movie takes place and I thought it would be cool to... well, nevermind. That sounded cooler in my head. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter- it took me the entire weekend to write!

* * *

…

_The darkness was like a continual swirl of nothing. _

_It snapped at her ankles like a mangy, flea-bitten dog trying to find some sort of food_

_She aimed a hard kick into the nothingness, but alas, when you kick nothing, nothing happens._

_She felt suffocated. She tried to breathe. Each breath was harder and more ragged than the last. _

_It was evident she couldn't continue for much longer. She was alone. _

_She had gone too far this time._

_Her head spun. Her vision grew dim. She tried to grab onto something, anything, but there was nothing. _

_Finally she let go. Her battle was lost. Nothing had won, yet everything was gone. A dark laughter echoed throughout the stretch of darkness. That was the last thing she heard._

_She was alone. She would _forever _be alone._

…

"Is she going to be alright?" Jack whispered. The five Guardians were in the infirmary, standing around her bed solemnly. Her eyes were closed; her long eyelashes cast spidery shadows on her smooth face. She was once again in the hospital wing of North's castle.

Tooth nodded slowly, hope evident in her lilac eyes, and grasped his hand. She squeezed it once and let go. "We should believe so. It is our duty to protect one another, no matter what happens." She glanced at Bunnymund. He sat in a chair that was too small for him with his head in his hands. The Aussie bunny, usually so grumpy and surly, looked shocked, as though he had never expected for things to turn out the way they did. Of course, no one could have expected for Flora to end up in the hospital for the second time in two days. "What's done is done, and we couldn't help it." She added softly to him. Bunnymund took his head out of his hands and glanced at her. His big green eyes were filled with sorrow. Sandy patted his back, a gesture Bunnymund would have never allowed on normal terms, but these were not normal terms.

"Bunny, tell us what happened." North said. He paced around the room with his swords pointed out. It reminded Bunnymund vaguely of last year, when Tooth's fairies were stolen by Pitch. They all banded together to help each other, and that was what they were doing now. They were a family, after all. "Tell us _exactly_. It is important that we know what we are dealing with. Pitch might be stronger, but _we_ are the ones with the belief and the children. If worst comes to worst then we must ask Jaime and his friends for help."

"An' Melody an' Lily." It was the first time that Bunnymund had spoken since they entered the hospital. North looked at him curiously and stopped pacing.

"Who is Melody and Lily? Friends of Jaime?" The Russian man put his swords down and scratched his head. "I do not know of these people."

Bunnymund sighed. "They're the only people in the entire world who believe in Flora. They're sisters who live in England." He remembered Lily. "Though I'm surprised that the older one could see me."

"Tell us what happened, Aster," Tooth said gently. "Stop avoiding this. It'll help if you talk about it."

Bunnymund was silent. Sandy patted his arm with a sad smile and sprinkled his sleep sand on her face. At once Flora smiled and a picture made of sleep sand of himself was shown above his head. Aster flowers grew on a vine that began to slither onto her bed. He opened his mouth and spoke.

He told them about Amsterdam, about the tulips. He told them about how Flora thought she never had a family. He told them how she didn't know who she was before she was Mother Nature. Tooth perked up at this part. "I explained to her about the teeth, Toothie. She wanted to visit the tooth palace at the end of the day," he told her. He moved on to tell the Guardians about when they visited Melody and Lily. From there he talked about how he passed out from entering the garden too quickly.

"I woke up as the rest of yeh came to the garden. How come none of yeh passed out?" Bunnymund finished his story. He looked at each Guardian. "Well?"

"Aster, we've all visited her before." Tooth said uneasily. She glanced at North. "We just assumed you've visited her as well, considering you both deal with the same thing: Spring. How come you've never been there before?"

Jack grinned. "I once froze her entire garden. She didn't know it was me, but I did."

Tooth frowned. "She told me about that. That was a long time ago, right?" Jack nodded. "Oh, she knew it was you. She was furious, let me tell you that. She said that she was going to get you back one day."

"Bunny, was there anything else?" North steered the conversation back to what happened as Jack opened his mouth to argue. He glanced at the fairy in the bed. Her long brown hair looked dull in the candle light. Her face was blank, her happy dream apparently over, and it wasn't full of energy or her usual spunk. Seeing her like this made Bunnymund feel empty on the inside.

Bunnymund glanced at her as well. "No. Nothin' else." Bunnymund picked up an item off the floor. It was the ball that the Guardians had found in her hands. He held it up to the light. It sparkled in the light— black sand blended with some sort of liquid golden substance. It had swirled together in the middle. One side was completely black, the other was totally golden. It was smooth on the gold side but jagged and rough on the black side.

"Pitch was there." It wasn't a question. Bunnymund looked up at them. "He was there and he tried to take her again." Nobody denied it. "Goddamn it!"

He was about to smash the ball when Jack took it from him. He inspected it closely as Bunnymund scowled angrily. He was starting to become his old self again.

Jack frowned. "Pitch did the same exact thing to me last year. He cornered me and tried to make me to become like him. He even made the same sort of sculpture, only it was fear and ice, not fear and nature. What's he up to?"

Nobody spoke after this. One by one, the Guardians left, each with their own duties. Tooth and Sandy left first, for it was nightfall and they both had their various jobs. The others knew that with Pitch getting stronger they would stay together as they cared for the children. Jack left after them; he had mumbled something about a need for fresh snow and didn't return. Soon it was just North and Bunnymund.

North watched Bunnymund with an amused look on his face. The bunny had brought eggs to paint while he waited for the fairy to wake up. He noticed that nearly every egg that was painted had some sort of flower on it, but the two most common flowers were asters and lilies. It was obvious that the rabbit had some sort of romantic feeling towards the sprite, and vice versa. North saw the way they looked at each other. Even though they both tried to mask it, they were attracted towards each other.

North stood. "Bunny, you should get back to Warren. Easter is in three days, yeah?" He nodded towards the fairy. "She can wait. Children can't."

"No, North." Bunnymund refused to look at him. He sighed and put down the egg he was in the middle of painting. "I can't."

"Why?"

"Because I was the one who let her almost get kidnapped. She's in here because of me. She was almost killed because of me." His voice lowered to a whisper. "It's my fault."

North sat down again. "It wasn't your fault, Aster. Things happen." North had used his middle name, so Bunnymund knew he was serious. "We couldn't help it when Jack was held up by Pitch last year and almost stopped Easter." Bunnymund felt a twinge of guilt from how easily he had turned on Jack. "We couldn't help it when Tooth lost her all of her fairies and her teeth. Sometimes things just happen for a reason. We may not know why now, but in time we will know. And besides," he added. He glanced at the bed where a soft mew was heard. "I think she is to wake up. I go now to give you two privacy." He winked at Bunnymund and gestured to the fairy. He closed the door softly on his way out. A quiet groan was heard as the door snapped shut.

"Bunnymund?" said a small voice. Bunnymund was still. Was she really there? When the Guardians had reached her in the forest a mere few hours ago she had looked so pale, so… dead. "What am I doing in the hospital again?" She held her head in the hand that wasn't in a cast. He was silent, unsure of how to react. He didn't know what to say to her. Her cheeks slowly regained color and her lips were pink and moist. One eye opened, "Hello? Is anyone home?"

Bunnymund finally grinned after a few seconds. She was back. "Flora…"

* * *

It was the middle of the night. The flowers in the Warren whispered to each other. They knew there was someone special there that evening. They could feel it right down to their roots. They knew that the person who controlled nature was in their midst.

Bunnymund glanced at Flora. She sat there, tongue poked out, as she painted an egg with one hand. She had the most determined look on her face as she tried to capture the Warren on the egg. He saw the sloping hills of green and little flowers painted perfectly on her egg. She sneezed suddenly and a cloud of sunshine dust blew off of her arms. She examined the egg to make sure it didn't suffer any injuries. There was a giant line of green paint that went across the blue sky that was painted on the shell. She swore loudly. Bunnymund chuckled as he guided another batch of eggs through the process of being mass produced.

She frowned at him. "What're you looking at, Rabbit? See something funny?" She growled. She held the egg up. "Think Melody would notice the mistake?" There was a streak of _green_ in the _sky_. Of course she would notice.

"Uhh…" Bunnymund said. She glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. "Um, of course not." She raised it even higher. "What mistake? I don't see a mistake. The egg is perfect."

Flora frowned again. She tossed the egg with the others and it scrambled to be painted with a new coat of paint. She sighed as she glanced at the stack of perfectly hand- painted eggs next to Bunnymund. She stretched and winced with pain. Bunnymund looked at her to make sure she was alright. That was part of their deal. If she experienced any sort of pain, then she had to go back to the hospital wing. Even if it was a paper cut.

When Flora first woke up she couldn't remember what happened. Then, when she tried to fly to the wardrobe to get a dress, she fell to the ground in a heap. She couldn't fly due to the way Pitch crushed her wings, so she was now totally dependent on Bunnymund for transportation. Her left wing was wrapped carefully in a bandage. It hung uselessly from her back.

While Phil the Yeti wrapped her wing, she told the Guardians about what happened in the garden. She could only remember bits and pieces of it at a time. She told them everything- how Pitch broke her wrist with the sand, how he wanted her to plant fear, how their powers had collided to form the ball.

"I've never been able to produce light like that before," Flora said and held her hand out. She concentrated and the light slowly swirled into a ball that floated above her palm. "It just came out of nowhere. I thought my powers were limited to just plants."

The Guardians were awed by her newfound power. Even Bunnymund was interested. After his brief show of emotion when she woke up, he had taken to the corner while the others fawned over her. When she produced the light in her hand, he had glanced up at her with a glimmer of something that Flora couldn't make out in his eyes.

"You know, Flora," North had said in his deep, throaty voice. "Maybe at times of stress things just happen. Remember last year, Jack, when you fought with Pitch and you found that you could do things with your powers that you didn't think you could do?" The winter sprite nodded. "Maybe this is like that time."

Flora looked at the ball of light and thought about what North said yesterday: "_We're a family now."_ Could she really believe that? Could she really trust them? After so many years of being alone, of having no one to talk too… was she supposed to accept the Guardians with open arms? Maybe she wasn't the right fairy for this. But, she had also thought about what she didn't tell the Guardians, about what Pitch had said to her. "_I will personally make sure that everyone will believe in you…" Could he really?_

Her mind drifted from this to that as Phil checked on her various wounds. She awed the Guardians once more when she showed them how she could heal herself.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Jack had asked when she gritted her teeth (which had caused Tooth to wince) and sprinkled her sunshine dust on her arm. Her arm glowed brightly and she hummed a soft, pure note. Her wrist popped back into place with a sickening _pop!_ and she shivered. She made a face as her wrist set and smiled sadly.

"It hurts more than the wound itself, but it must be done so I can help the children. Someone's got to keep the peace with the world, yeah?" Flora twirled her finger once in the air and a bouquet of white irises and purple sweet peas fell into her lap. She handed a flower to each Guardian. "This is a thank you. For all of you. I can't express how much gratitude I have for each and every one of you. You know, an iris is the symbol of faith, wisdom, valor, and eternal friendship. Sweet peas are the symbol of deep thanks. I cannot thank you all enough for what you've done for me."

Flora sneezed again and snapped out of her reverie to see Bunnymund watching her closely. She stood and carefully stretched her wings. The light of the candles made her gossamer like wings shine in the night. Flora glanced back at her left wing with a dejected sigh. Bunnymund made a noise in the back of his throat when she lifted them to look at them.

"Sheila, you know what North said." He grunted as he led another batch of eggs to be mass- produced. "No flyin' or soarin' until tomorrah, understand?" He pushed a particularly stubborn egg into the line of duty as the others were sprayed with paint. "We don't wantcha to strain your wings."

Flora sighed and beat her wings together slowly. Bunnymund glared at her. "What?" She asked with a sly grin on her face. "I'm only stretching them." He rolled his eyes and went back to work. She watched him for a bit. _You could tell that he really loved his job_, she thought to herself as she watched him count the eggs that needed to be painted. _He triple checked every number and even made extra eggs for every country. _

Bunnymund glanced up at Flora from time to time to make sure she was alright. North had gotten into his face and said that if she ended up in the hospital for the third day in a row then Bunnymund would feel the other end of the sword. North didn't even want to let her go to the Warren, but Flora had insisted.

"_If you made him go where I needed to go, then I need to go where he needs to go,"_ She had said. "_It's only fair."_

Bunnymund had protested, but not as violently as he did this morning (was it only this morning?). It had felt like forever since the pair was in Amsterdam next to the field of tulips. He glanced at her again. Now she was quietly fluttering her wings together in tiny spurts of energy. He cleared his throat and glared pointedly at her wings. She blushed prettily and wrapped her wings around herself. Bunnymund went back to work as she fiddled with the bandage on her left wing and tried to pull it loose. She had almost succeeded with untying the bandage when Bunnymund hopped next to her, abandoning his eggs.

"Shelia," he said warningly, and grabbed her small hands. She looked at him in the eyes. There was a tense silence until she gently took her hands away. She sighed and hooked a piece of hair behind her ear. Bunnymund watched her closely. He had never noticed that her ears were slightly pointed at the tips.

"Bunnymund, what's your center?" Flora went back to her seat and started to paint a new egg. She quickly captured her garden perfectly on the thin surface within seconds. "I know that North's is Wonder. I'm guessing that Sandy is the Guardian of Dreams. Jack is the Guardian of Fun, and I think Tooth is the Guardian of Memories, but what do you guard?"

Bunnymund stopped what he was doing. He put down a few confused eggs and watched as they scuttled off in different directions. He glanced at Flora, "What d'you mean by that?"

Flora sighed. She put her egg down as well and turned to face him. Even in the soft light of the Warren at night you could tell she was beautiful. Her eyes were full and bright, her lips were pink and moist. Her hair tumbled down her back in waves and curls. Her gossamer- like wings still sparkled. Her skin glowed faintly from the sunshine dust. "What's you center? How do you know what your center is?"

Bunnymund glanced at her again. His rugged muscles stretched as he sat down across from her. "I'm the Guardian of Hope. Easter is a time for new beginnings and a new life; essentially, hope. I help the children believe that there will be a better day. Have you ever felt lost? Like you don't know why you belong? I give the feelin' of hope that one day you'll feel like you've found your place. And I just guess that one day you'll know what your center is. It might not be today or tomorrow, but you'll know when the time is right."

Flora fluttered her wings behind her absentmindedly. She messed with her fingers. "That was beautiful, Bunnymund." She looked him straight in the eyes when she spoke. Bunnymund felt awkward under her stare. He felt his heart clench and his palms began to sweat. _What the bloody hell was happening to him?!_

"Thanks," he said quietly. Her stare was so intense it made him feel like his was being baked by the sun. Her green eyes were filled with something he couldn't make out. She gently hooked a piece of her hair behind her ear and smiled softly. "Why're you askin', anyway?" He gulped silently at how beautiful she looked in the light of the moon.

She frowned slightly. "I don't know. You see…" she took a big breath of air. "All these years, I've been alone with no one. Nearly three hundred years by myself. I thought I was the only being in the world for the longest time until one day I stumbled upon a small town and discovered people. And now…" she looked up at him. "Now I have what I suppose one could call a family. I'm a Guardian now, and I'm not even sure how I'm supposed to do that. Will I have special duties or do I just continue what I'm doing? Will children finally begin to believe in me? I have no idea." She laughed to herself. "This has been a very interesting few days, am I right?" She smiled weakly at him and awkwardly looked away. There was a tense silence.

Flora stretched her wings. She earned a stern look from Bunnymund to which she responded with a wink. "I'm going to bed." She said bluntly. She hopped off her stool and tried to walk away from the table. She didn't get very far when she felt the strong paws of Bunnymund scoop her into his arms.

"I know what'ye doin'," he growled into her ear. His whiskers tickled her ear. "You're going to try to fly somewhere, aren't yeh?"

Flora shoved him away. "No," she said hastily. Her lowered eyes gave away the lie. She ripped the bandage off her wing and threw it on the ground as she raised an eyebrow and leaped into the air. Her alignment was slightly off from her slightly bent wing, she could tell, but other than that her flying was fine. She gave a trill of excitement from being in the air again. Oh, she loved the ground, but she loved being in the air so much more. She flew around the Warren with a speed she never reached before. She felt like a bird after being set free from being in a cage for years on end. She glanced back at Bunnymund and laughed at his shocked expression. She quickly turned around and gave a burst of speed.

Flora felt nothing but freedom as she flew up and down and everywhere in the Warren. She took a sharp dive and felt the wind in her hair as she flew straight toward the earth. She heard Bunnymund give a shout as she neared the ground. She pulled out of the dive seconds before she would have hit the soft ground. She lazily drew her fingers on the ground as she started to pick up speed again. Flowers grew where her fingers touched the grass. She smiled at the flowers as she shot straight up into the air like a rocket. She wished this moment would never end!

Flora gained speed as she flew up and up and up into the night sky. She looked down for a brief moment and saw the Warren spread out in its entirety. It was truly beautiful. She watched as eggs nearly trampled each other as they got in line to be sprayed with paint. Flora looked up at the moon. She stood as still as she could in the air and pretended she was on solid ground. She crossed her arms and mimed putting her foot down.

"I don't know why you made me a Guardian, but I do know this: I _am_ Mother Nature, and nothing will ever bring me apart from my flowers. Not the changing seasons, not a drought, not fire- and certainly not Pitch Black. He might be the Nightmare King, but I'm no lowly peasant in his kingdom. If anything I'm the rebel that will disrupt his court- and there's nothing he can do about it."

Flora jumped about a foot in the air when she heard chuckling. She whirled around and almost screamed. Yellow lamplight eyes stared out from the impending darkness in front of her. The chuckling turned into laughter, a dark and malicious laughter.

"Oh, is that so?" A body formed out of the darkness. Gleaming white teeth curled into an evil grin. "Should I prepare my knights for the impending battle?"

Flora gasped. She quickly regained control of herself and sneered. "Why? So you can lose?" She tried to fly away but a whip of black sand wrapped around her ankle and pulled her back. She glared at her enemy harshly and yanked her bare foot out of harm's way.

"Ah- ah- ah," Pitch waggled his finger at her. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves now. We still have a lot to discuss. Have you thought anymore of our plan?"

Flora scowled. "'Our' plan? Oh, no, that's _your_ plan. _I_ have nothing to do with this. I will never plant anything that would harm the children."

He pouted. "But, Flora, don't you want to be believed in? I know that's your one of your deepest desires- the other is for a certain Guardian to notice you for something… _other_ than a simple fairy." He laughed at her shocked expression and pounced. "Oh, yes, Flora, I know all about you two. I know how you both met, I know how he first felt about you being chosen to be a Guardian, and I know just what he thinks of you." He waited for her to say something crippling that he could use against her. This was nothing but a game, and he was on the winning team.

Flora fiddled with her fingers. She looked up, her face shining with hope. "Do you really?" Her expression suddenly hardened. "Never mind, I don't care. What I want is for you to get out and to leave me alone."

"But we both know that that will never happen. You have two days to make your decision, Flora, or else you will become… _mine." _At his last words he exploded into Nightmare sand. It came towards Flora and wrapped her up. She tried to fight her way out of the sand surrounding her.

"Even if you try to fight my control you will fail. Just give up now and make it easy," a voice whispered in her ears. "Let's have a little fun, eh?" Wandering fingers traced up and down her arms.

"No," Flora suddenly found her voice. She held her palm out and concentrated. The ball swirled into her palm quicker than before. She whirled around and aimed it at him. A jet of light streamed from her palm and hit the sand. It howled in agony as Flora shot the light all around her to make it disappear. It melted away from her, but one single strand remained and whispered into her ear.

"You will become dark, Flora, instead of light."

* * *

Now, where was that bloody fairy?

Bunnymund glanced up at the sky every few seconds. She couldn't have gone far. The Warren wasn't that large and it was rather hard to get lost in it. _Maybe she had flown away to get away from you, _said a voice in his head. _She doesn't even like you. What did she call you earlier? What was it- a 'grumpy old rabbit'?_

Stop it, he told himself. Easter was only three days away and he had to prepare the eggs. He shouldn't allow for a pesky little fairy to distract him. He absolutely had to make sure the eggs got out this year. If a repeat of last year happened then he wouldn't be believed in again.

Bunnymund thought about how lively Flora looked when she flew around the Warren. She looked young and carefree, just as a fairy should be. He knew that North and the other Guardians had thrown a lot at her in the past few days (though perhaps not as much as Jack). They had shown up out of nowhere without a warning and completely turned her world upside down. Bunnymund couldn't blame her for not wanting to be a Guardian when it was so suddenly thrusted upon her. Jack had acted the same way last year. Bunnymund was still surprised that Man in Moon had chosen Flora, the girl who acted as Mother Nature, to be a Guardian. Who would be next if this whole A- New- Guardian– Every- Year thing continued? Flora was a handful enough as is.

She, as Mother Nature, was rumored to be elder and kindhearted, not young and a spitfire. She was supposed to be gentle and loving, yet she was neither. She was more likely to throw an insult than to give a compliment, but maybe that was because she was so stressed out. He saw how she had acted with those girls in England, the only two girls who believed in her, and how she treated them as equals instead of children. Bunnymund admired her spirit and passion in her field of work. In fact, she probably rivaled his own passion.

Bunnymund glanced up at the dark sky one more. Where the bloody hell was she? Had she gotten lost?

_Ha! Proof,_ said the voice. _Proof that she doesn't like you. She left to escape you._

He stared intensely at the night sky above him. She didn't escape him. He still had to watch her on North's orders and she knew that. Wait- was that flash of light? What was that cloud of darkness? He heard a shrill scream, a girl's scream-

_Flora!_

Bunnymund watched as dark sand wrapped around a glowing figure. Flora's light given from the sunshine dust that constantly coated her skin grew dimmer as the sand drew closer around her. She gave a strangled shout before she went quiet. A dark cackle was heard as the cloud began to float away.

Bunnymund sprang into action. "Oh, no yeh don't!" He roared. He grabbed his boomerangs and threw one after another at the cloud. He saw them it the cloud and for a brief moment he was worried he had hit Flora. The cloak of darkness faded away quickly when it noticed him and Flora struggled her way out of the whips of Nightmare sand. It scratched and bit at her like a rabid animal desperate for food. She shot several balls of light at the sand. It was like watching a lightning storm; thunder versus lightning, good versus evil.

And Flora was right in the middle of it.

Bunnymund stood helplessly on the ground as he watched her battle Pitch Black. She fought ferociously, and if this had been a less serious time then Bunnymund would have thought that he would never want to see her that angry at him. Flora threw ball of light after ball of light, and he could see that she was winning. Pitch knew that Flora was too strong for him to beat. Bunnymund watched as the Nightmare King suddenly flew forward and say something to her before he disappeared with a clash of thunder.

Flora hovered there for a few seconds before she turned and flew towards the earth. This was a different kind of flying than before. She didn't look carefree, she looked burdened and troubled. She landed lightly next to Bunnymund. He opened his mouth to speak. He wanted to ask her how she felt, if she had hurt her wing any more, if she was hurt in any way—

Flora raised an eyebrow. "Don't say anything."

He frowned. "I wassn't about to say nothin'."

"Lies." She nonchalantly stretched her arms. "Well, it's late, and I think it's time to go to bed. Goodnight, Bunnymund." She tried to walk away inconspicuously. Bunnymund roughly turned her around.

"What the bloody 'ell was that all about?" He growled. Forget how worried he was about her. Why would she just blow off the most recent attack from Pitch like it was nothing? Was she nuts?

_Because she was _Flora_, that's why_, he thought to himself exasperatedly. He watched as she froze mid step, or rather, mid flutter. She has half a foot off the ground and she lowered herself slowly. She turned around to face him and walked towards him. Wildflowers grew out of her footsteps. Bunnymund forced himself to look away from the growing flowers and looked her straight in the eyes. They were still a deep green, though a bit darker than before. Perhaps they were that dark because of her lack of sleep.

"Nothing just happened, Bunnymund." Her eyes were heavy with the lie. She shifted guiltily from foot to foot. She approached him slowly and touched his cheek. His ears perked up at the touch of her slender palm on his face. "Trust me. Nothing serious enough to tell North, yeah?" Her wide eyes searched his. She wanted to pretend like nothing happened. Bunnymund sighed. That was a big lie to tell, and they still had three days to spend together. He nodded gently. Oh, he wanted to protest violently just to show her how tough he was, but there were just some things you just had to let go. Flora smiled slightly. She flapped her wings and floated out of his reach, still facing him, when her face suddenly clenched with pain. She stumbled in the air and Bunnymund caught her before she fell to the ground. She knotted her thin fingers around his thick, soft fur to keep from falling.

"Shelia, you alright?" Bunnymund asked. He awkwardly set her right and touched her arm, not knowing what to do. She clenched her abdomen and doubled over. Bunnymund stared in horror as the flowers that grew from her footsteps suddenly crumpled. The grass that surrounded them turned a nasty shade of brown. "Flora?"

"I'm fine, Bunny," Flora said shakily a few seconds later. She slowly righted herself. Her pretty face was pale and her eyes looked dull. "I just had this… vision of fire dancing around my flowers, burning them and destroying the life they had." She looked around the yard and noticed the dead grass. She gasped when she saw the dead flowers. She touched them softly, like she tried to bring them back to life, but they stayed cold. They were dead. A tear rolled down Flora's pale cheek. She shook her head. "I thought this would stop happening. I thought these visions would end!" She cried as she hit the ground with her fists in despair. A few petals fell to the dirt. "This is all because of Pitch!"

Bunnymund touched her arm. "What d'you mean, you thought this would stop?" He turned her around and looked her in the eyes. "This has happened before? And yeh didn't tell anyone?!" He accused her. Her almost fainting was suddenly a lot less important, as did Pitch's latest attack.

A fire burned in her eyes. "You don't know what it's like, Bunny. It feels real, it looks real! I can feel the flames licking my toes and my fingers. I choke on smoke and soot and I can't breathe. I can smell the scent of singed hair and burnt fabric." Her eyes narrowed. She stepped closer to him. Her wings fluttered, bringing her to his face. "It's so real that it sometimes becomes reality. And besides, I had no one to tell."

Bunnymund roughly pushed her to the ground. She wasn't supposed to be flying. "Pitch has nothing to do with that. He plants the Nightmares in your head. You're the one who makes it real. You could've told us."

"But I can't control fire!" Flora exclaimed. She threw thin arms into the air for emphasis. "Even if I could, I would never! Fire is one of the things that destroys plants. Fire isn't nice. Fire kills!" Her eyes flashed. "Do you know how many deaths I've seen caused by forest fires? Far too many, that's for sure! Pitch puts these images in my head and he's the one who makes them happen! In fact, he said that if I don't help him try to rule the world then he will strip me of my powers."

"But you're Mother Nature, shouldn't you have control over all the elements? And what do you mean, he'll strip you of your powers?" Bunnymund scoffed. "Only Man in Moon can do that. And if he does, it would be because you did something bloody awful with your powers."

Flora sighed and felt tears sting her eyes. When she cried, which was hardly ever, she cried tears of sunshine dust. She never cried real tears because of her powers. Flora angrily hopped into the air and flew off through the Warren away from him. How dare Bunnymund scoff!

"Flora, wait! We need to tell North that Pitch was here!" Bunnymund hopped behind her. "Flora!"

Flora flew through the trees, her wings angrily fluttering to try and put as much space in between her and Bunnymund. She wiped the tears that fell from her eyes and silently cursed the giant rabbit. A whistling was heard and an egg bomb exploded to her right. She screamed and veered left, but with her bent wing it was hard to turn on such short notice. She lost control and slammed into something hard and soft. Bunnymund. He wrapped her in his strong arms and held her. He sat on the ground and she put her face to his chest and let everything go.

She held onto him and cried. She cried her frustrations about the last few days. She cried about the attacks from a man who didn't know she existed until a few months ago. She cried about how she didn't know she was a mortal human before she became a fairy, how she used to have a family who was obviously long dead by now. She cried about her failing powers, her nightmares, her mixed feelings towards Bunnymund. She cried about her wing. Who knew if it would ever be normal again?

She looked up at Bunnymund. His big green eyes looked down at her with sadness in his eyes. She knew he didn't want her to feel this way. He wiped a stray tear from her cheek. She saw the marvel in his eyes, the marvel from the liquid sunshine dust that was her tears.

"Listen, shelia, I—" She put a finger on his mouth. She held his face in her hands. His breath was caught in his throat.

"Don't be." Two words; that was all they needed. She looked at him for a moment before she looked away. "I should be the one apologizing."

"Don't be," his gruff Australian accent murmured. She bit back a smile that eventually wormed its way onto her cheek. He felt a smile appear on his own lips— and another pair of lips as well.

Flora sprang back before either realized what had happened. She smiled sheepishly and her cheeks were decorated with a pretty blush. To distract him (and herself as well), she held out her palm and a ball of light swirled out of nothing. In it was a purple aster flower.

He tucked it into her hair for luck.

* * *

In a cave far below the joys of spring time, in deep, dark, dankness, there was a shadowy man. Black horses made from black sand surrounded him. He stood in front of the Globe that was in the center of all those empty cages, just a bitter reminder of how his plans were screwed into nothing by those peasants known as the Guardians.

Pitch slammed his fist onto the Globe. He shouted in anger. He screamed profanity in every language he knew: English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Latin, Italian, Portuguese, Afrikaans, Swahili, even American Sign Language. He knew pretty much every language known to man, since he was the Nightmare King.

He. Was. So. Close.

He was _so close_ to her and yet so far at the same time. All he needed was to get her alone, truly alone, and he could finally turn her over to the darkness. Tonight's attack had rattled her, which was good. He just needed to push her a little more.

And then she would become his.

She would plant his seed of Nightmares everywhere— without her wonderful ability to plant anything, she would be useless to him. Once he used her, her powers would drain and she would be about as helpful as a broken nail.

If that inconsiderate rabbit wasn't there tonight then he probably would have been able to have taken her once and for all.

He stared hard at the Globe. Every twinkle of light, every shining beacon, mocked him. Oh, how he wanted to rip every fanciful thought out of every child and replace it with a Nightmare. One day he won't have to wait for them to be asleep for him to be able to sneak into their minds.

He threw a handful of Nightmare sand next to him and it swirled into an orb. He looked at it and he watched as it formed a kind of one-way mirror. He waited for it to focus on his target, that stupid fairy. When it suddenly did, the orb of sand showed him Flora in the arms of a Guardian, the spring time or whatever one. He saw the way they looked at each other, the romantic "lovey- dovey" look that he often saw on love struck teenagers' faces. He looked at the flower in her hair and snarled. He angrily waved his hand through the sand. It fell to the ground with a soft hiss. He had seen enough and it made him sick.

_Master, when will we rule the world?_

A Fearling who stood next to his favorite Nightmare had stepped out of line. It had spoken without the thought of the consequences. Pitch curled his lips.

"All in due time, my good sir." Pitch ignored the neighs of shock from the Nightmares. They were more intelligent than the Fearlings and knew all too well what would happen if you spoke out of turn. "All in due time."

_We just have to wait a little longer than expected,_ he thought to himself as he turned to face the Globe once more. He's waited for years for his shining moment. He could afford to wait a few more days.


	11. Chapter 11

_I wonder what Bunnymund and Flora are doing today? Well, I know that Flora still has her Mother Nature duties, so she's probably going to be in a field somewhere. Field, field, field… that reminds me about that family who lives in the country side in Germany I wonder how those kids are doing I think one of them lost a tooth yesterday I should probably get Baby Tooth on that she's been doing really good with all the new responsibilities she's going to be a good assistant one day I can tell you that oh wait, what was I thinking about oh yeah Bunnymund and Flora well I think they like each other as more than friends but that could lead to some complications seeing as they're both Guardians and also not to mention immortal so if something goes wrong then they'd have to deal with it for the rest of their lives which is unfortunately FOREVER and I—_

"How do you think Flora is doing, Tooth?" North's gruff voice interrupted Tooth's nonstop mental chatter. She glanced up from what she was doing, which was drawing out new dresses for Flora. She had a pattern for a deep green ball gown that she knew Flora would never wear and an ice blue tunic that was much like her current dark green dress. She planned on hand-sewing ice-like gems on the hem and neckline. She wanted to make a pretty red shirt covered in real flowers next for the forest fairy.

"What?" Measurements and mannequins danced around in her head as well as the usual flurry of teeth and tooth-collecting thoughts. Tape measures clouded her vision. She looked up and saw the Russian man standing by the window. His giant outline filled nearly the whole window, except for a slim spot next to him. She knew that was where he wanted her to stand.

"Flora, Tooth," North chuckled. He ruffled the feathers on the top of her head and she swatted his hand away. "How do you think she is doing? Do you think she will make good Guardian?"

Tooth smoothed back her feathers and abandoned her sewing table to join North. They looked out at the winter landscape, both caught up in their own thoughts. It was quiet for a few moments before Tooth spoke.

"I think she'll do great. She's an excellent addition to the team. She and the other Guardians work well together, especially her and Bunnymund." Tooth looked up at North, an almost impossible feat seeing as he's so much taller than her. She wanted to gauge his reaction about the obvious affection the two Guardians had towards each other. "What do you think, North?" She added gently. She touched his arm softly. He jumped at the feel of her slender hand upon his. He blushed lightly, his rosy cheeks becoming (if it were even plausible) even rosier.

"Me? What does North think?" He paused and listened as a crash above their heads shook the ceiling. He sighed before he answered, "I believe she will be splendid. A good addition." He smiled down at Tooth and suddenly rubbed his stomach with wide eyes. "I can feel it_. In my belly_."

Tooth giggled at him and wrapped her arm in the crook of his elbow. He chuckled back, a little surprise from the show of affection, before another crash and a strangled shout made him sigh. He gently removed Tooth's arm from his. "I should go. I put Jack in charge of helping Yeti's with presents. That was not a good idea by the sound of the crashes." As if on cue, another crash shook the ceiling, followed by yelling Yetis and a loud laugh. Tooth nodded her understanding and went back to her table to draw up some more designs for Flora. Since she technically couldn't wear clothes herself, due to her body being covered in brightly colored feathers, Tooth took the liberty of designing Flora's wardrobe. It was fun to see someone finally be able to wear the clothes she designed.

"Good luck out there," Tooth said as yet another crash sounded. Both Guardians winced. North paused at the door as he passed by her. He seemed to contemplate something for a few seconds before he went back and gave a small kiss on her the cheek. He started to whistle as he walked jauntily out of the room. He looked back as Tooth reached up to touch where her cheek burned and slyly looked at the door and rolled her eyes with a grin. North laughed, winked, and closed the door with a soft turn of the handle. Tooth's lilac eyes shone with excitement as she hummed softly and listened to the muted shouting above her as she started to sketch out that red shirt. Frenzied thoughts started up again, though now they were slightly calmer. Her hand kept creeping up to her cheek. She couldn't stop smiling.

* * *

"Oi, shelia, 'ow much farther? My bloody legs feel like death," Bunnymund shouted at the figure that flew above him. He bounded after her in a forest that was impossibly thick. Flora was apparently leading him somewhere but she refused to divulge any information. She glanced back at him and giggled, but continued to fly above him without an answer. The air felt free beneath her wings, like pure heaven. She shifted her weight and flew up into the sky, above the tree line. The trees below her began to slowly thin out. Good. She was where she needed to be, which was in an empty field in the countryside of Germany. She landed softly in the grass.

"Flora, 'ow many times do I have to ask yeh were we're goin'?" Bunnymund panted as he stumbled into the field. Jeez, that fairy could take a lot out of him. He looked up to see Flora standing a few feet away from him. She stood with her head cocked to one side, a small smile played on her lips.

"Well, Bunny? Are you gonna shulmp over and complain or are you gonna sit back and enjoy the breeze?" Flora grinned cheerfully and jumped into the air. She sped around the field with sunshine dust spreading out behind her like a thick blanket. She flew back to Bunnymund and flapped her wings together. "Are you ready for the show?" She asked playfully. She closed her palm and opened it. Inside her hand was an aster flower. She tucked it into his belt and winked before she flew about twenty feet in the air. Bunnymund heard the area that surrounded them go silent. It unnerved him to not hear the sounds of nature around him.

Flora closed her eyes and breathed deeply. She raised her arms to the sky and sang a high, pure note that penetrated the earth below them. Bunnymund felt a rumble beneath his feet and clutched an oak located on the tree line of the forest behind them in fear. Flora sang the note again, louder this time, and threw sunshine dust in the air. A strong wind appeared out of nowhere and with the help of her steady hands, she guided the wind all around the field. She laughed gaily and plopped down onto the field, which steadily grew different seedlings. She poked her bare toe at one spot on the ground and a small patch of wild strawberries grew. She danced around sprouts and touched the earth with a finger. A spot of purple phloxes popped out of the ground. Flora looked up to see trees growing and waved her fingers in the air before she turned around. Purple wisteria laced itself through the tree branches.

Flora took a running start and propelled herself through the trees. Her hair flew out behind her as she weaved herself through the newly grown forest. Sunlight filtered though the branches and gave the bottom layer of the forest a magical sort of aura. It literally sparkled with joy and sunshine and peace. Wildflowers grew at the bases of the tree trunks, and the wisteria casted a slight purple shadow on the forest floor.

Flora flew back to where Bunnymund was. He looked surprised at the sudden growth of flora all around him. She grinned and turned to face the newly grown forest. She jumped into the air once more and spun around with her arms out. The forest seemed to have one last burst of energy and stood still.

For a minute Bunnymund could swear he heard the forest breathe and sigh as one. He heard birds trill and squeal as they flocked to their new home. He looked around in wonder at the work of art that was in front of him.

It was beautiful. The empty field that had been there before had disappeared and in its place was a majestic forest. Flora landed gracefully on the soft grass. Bunnymund's attention was diverted to the fairy as she walked towards him. The usual wildflowers poked up out of the earth as her feet touched the ground.

"So what do you think, Bunny?" Flora jumped into the air and spun around playfully. She hovered in midair as she waited for his opinion. Bunnymund took his time to find his answer. She obviously wanted him to say it was the most beautiful place on Earth, but he didn't want to seem so… _eager_. He threw his shoulders back and said gruffly, "It's alright."

Her face fell. She lowered herself to the ground and rubbed her arm awkwardly. She was silent for a moment before she suddenly looked up at him with an impish smile and snapped her fingers. All at once, hundreds of cherry blossoms that grew on a nearby tree turned into pink butterflies and flew off through the trees. She snapped her fingers once more and the pink flowers grew once more on the tree as if nothing happened. She smirked at his facial expression and hopped into the air.

"Come on, Bunny! We've got a lot to do today and not a lot of time. Let's go." She twirled around and flew through the trees. Bunnymund grunted and followed her out of the forest. He got the feeling that the trees were alive and breathing as he bounded after Flora. They were near the edge of the newly-grown forest when a rumbling was heard in the distance. Sleigh bells jingled, their sound echoing from across the valley. Flora stumbled to a stop in midair and Bunnymund almost ran into her dangling feet. He reached up and pulled her to the ground as North's red sleigh came into view.

Huge, powerful reindeer pulled the majestic vessel through the late afternoon sky. The pair on the ground could see the hulking body of North in the driver's seat with Tooth and Sandy clutching each other for dear life in the back. The sleigh veered to a clearing in the middle of the forest. Flora and Bunnymund ran towards it as the vehicle landed awkwardly. North had a wild look in his eyes as he stumbled out of the sleigh. The rabbit felt as though there was something odd about the leader of the Guardians, but he couldn't place his finger on it.

"Flora," he gasped. He held onto the side of sleigh. "Your room… the flowers… they're—they're—"

Flora made a noise of distress when she realized what he meant. "No! This can't be. They can't be—no, I have to see this myself." She turned to Bunnymund. "Can you make that tunnel appear? I need to see what happened. There may be some way I can revive the flowers. You can go to the Warren and finish some more eggs and then meet me later at the castle."

He frowned. "Flora, yeh can't go by yerself. _I'll_ go and _you_ go back to the Warren. I'll come get yeh if it's safe."

Flora stomped her foot. "Um, excuse me, but I can take care of myself. I'm going to _Santa's Workshop_—how much safer is that?" her eyes flashed. "I've taken care of myself for the past three hundred years, I think I can look after myself for a few hours and not get killed."

Bunnymund crossed his arms. "Flora, I'm tellin' yeh it's not safe. Remember what happened last night?" He was obviously referring to the attack from Pitch. Flora was grateful that he didn't mention it in front of North.

"Bunny, I'll be fine." Her face relaxed. "You worry too much. I'll see you later, alright?" She clenched her palm and offered him the purple aster. It had become her way of trying to tell him something in between the lines, be it _I'm sorry_ or _I like you_. "I'll send you a flower when I get there."

Bunnymund nodded his understanding and stepped back to create the tunnel for her. She dove into it, but came back a second later. She kissed him on the cheek before she fluttered into the earth. Bunnymund, speechless from the second kiss he received from her, remembered her promise. _I'll send you a flower. _

Last night, after Bunnymund had caught up to her, they had created a system to use if she were ever in trouble. The attack from Pitch was much too close for Bunnymund, so he had insisted that they create a way to communicate with if they were ever apart and she needed him. Flora adamantly denied the need for such a system, claiming that (again) she could take care of herself.

"Flora, you were almost kidnapped by Pitch for the umpteenth time in three days," Bunnymund had said with a stern glare. She then snapped something horrendously ugly and rude back to him. Bunnymund retorted with a simple plead that caught the fairy off guard. Flora reluctantly agreed to think of a code or language they could speak in. They spent several minutes in silence before Flora had thought of something.

"What about the language of flowers?" Flora suggested. She was met with a raised eyebrow. "Not many people study such an ancient language, so it is nearly forgotten. Plus, I could send a flower to you easily. I could just snap my fingers and then poof! There's your message."

After a few seconds of reflection, Bunnymund agreed to the ludicrous idea. It seemed simple enough. After all, flowers seemed like the most inconspicuous way to communicate with. The enemy wouldn't understand the messages, which is exactly what they wanted.

"Hellbore, or a Christmas rose, is a way to say 'relive my anxiety', so I could send that if I'm in trouble." She snapped her fingers and a white blossom grew speedily out of the ground. Bunnymund nodded. "Monkshood is the symbol of danger. That way you'd know if I were in danger and you needed to be careful." A flower that looked a lot like lavender popped up. "It's extremely dangerous, seeing as it's venomous. Be careful when you're around it. Hmm," she screwed up her face in thought. "Traveler's joy means safety; I'll send that if I'm safe." She sprinkled a pinch of sunshine dust over the ground next to the other flowers. A white flower that looked eerily spider-like appeared. Flora looked at Bunnymund. "I think that covers everything. We've got danger, safety, help…"

Bunnymund snapped out of his flashback and face North. He realized that the older man had not moved since he last spoke; he was frozen in time, almost. A smear of black sand was on his red coat. Tooth and Sandy were equally as still. _What was going on here?_

A deep chuckle made Bunnymund draw his boomerangs. His ears twitched as he tried to listen to his surroundings. "Oi, who's there?"

The wind blew a harsh gust of air across the forest. Bunnymund watched as his friends withered away to black sand right in front of his eyes. _What the bloody hell…?_ There was nothing left but a few piles of the very substance that Bunnymund hated the most.

Nightmare sand.

This meant that the Nightmare King was at fault here. That bloody bastard had to be around somewhere. The sand gathered together and rose into the air in one collective ball. It swarmed Bunnymund and created a cage around him. He tried to fight his way out of his captivity, but it was like tried to scratch away at a concrete jail cell.

Bunnymund shouted in rage as he tried to escape. If this was happening here, then what was happening at the castle? What was happening with Flora? He cursed loudly and tapped his foot on the bottom of the cage. Nothing happened. He thought of Flora and cursed again. Could he even trust that she was alive?

Pitch wanted to use her as a weapon, so of course she would still be alive… until he decided to dispose of her.

Bunnymund rattled the bars of his cage. "Oi, you don't wanna mess with a rabbit, mate!" He yelled in case Pitch could hear him. "You'll neva' win!"

Nothing answered him. His heart fell when he realized Pitch was at the castle.

_In a way he already had won._

Bunnymund sank onto the floor of the cage. He noticed a Christmas rose pop out of the ground. He felt something within him break when he watched as two other Christmas roses grew. Suddenly there were dozens of the white rose-like flowers surrounding him in his enchanted cage. Monkshood sprouted just as quickly; it nearly covered the entire forest floor. A cypress flower and a marigold bloom grew intertwined with each other: _despair. _

Fear tugged on his heart.

_Help… I need your help… I'm in danger and you need to be careful… Help me… danger, danger, danger… help_

Bunnymund wept bitterly. He couldn't help his flower. She was in danger, and he was stuck in a bloody cage.

He couldn't help her.

* * *

Flora raced through the underground tunnel. If the plants in her room at the castle were in danger, then who knows how many other plants were in trouble? Flora gave a burst of speed. She flew as fast as she could to try and beat the clock. If she got there in time then she might have a chance to revive a few of them. _It was only a matter of time._

Flora saw an opening at the end of the tunnel and she quickly exited the labyrinth. The setting sun that shined through the window temporarily blinded her. As she waited for her eyes to adjust, she breathed in the scent of the air. Everything smelled normal; alive and healthy, even. _What was going on?_

The door shut behind her with a snap. Flora whirled around in surprise to see nothing there. _What?_ She shook off the feeling of uneasiness and turned back around. _It was just the wind,_ she told herself. _This castle can get drafty sometimes. _Maybe she should send a call for help just to be safe. Flora bent over and examined a bed of clovers under the window. She decided that she was just jumpy from Bunnymund acting as though she was going to be attacked at any moment.

She straightened up. She heard something… a whisper of a dark laugh. A faint scream. She looked behind her and saw nothing. Flora laughed out loud. Now she was as paranoid as Bunnymund. But there was a nagging sense of uneasiness that made her feel as though she was not alone. She peered over her shoulder. Did that shadow just move? Was that a sparkle of black sand? She sighed. The sooner this was over, the better. She wanted nothing more than to return to her garden.

_But what about Bunnymund?_ A little voice whispered in her head. _You like him, don't you- more than you let on. _

_Oh, hush,_ she said mentally in reply. Flora felt a blush creep up her neck. It was a good thing she was alone, otherwise she would have been teased and mortified beyond relief. Speaking of teasing, she wondered where the other Guardians were. They should have returned to the castle and would have recognized her presence by now, surely. After all, North had all of that impressive technology in front of the Globe that could probably locate unexpected breeches on the premises. If the computers weren't working then she should visit someone or go and find one of the Yetis to tell them that she was there.

Flora stood with this plan in mind. North must have had some kind of mental episode, because this room was fine. Every plant was well accounted for and was healthy. Of course, Flora always did think that the leader of the Guardians was slightly crazy in the head; you'd most likely have to be in order to be Santa Claus. Flora crossed the floor and turned the crystal knob of the door. It was locked. Huh. That was strange.

Convinced that she didn't turn the handle far enough, Flora tried again. No, it was definitely locked from the outside. She panicked. _What was going on?! _She tugged at the door and cried out in vain, hoping that someone could hear her. The solid wood did not budge. She was trapped in the room and had a vague idea about who locked it, because it certainly wasn't the Guardians. Jack wouldn't even stoop this low to pull a prank on someone. Flora felt fear tug at her heart, and that was enough to call the Nightmare King.

She snapped her fingers. There was nothing else that she could do. She needed help from Bunnymund. He promised that he would come as soon as she sent a distress signal. She tugged on the door again. A deep chuckle made her freeze.

"Having fun, Flora dear?"

_Pitch._

Flora cursed silently and snapped her fingers twice more. She needed help, urgently, too. She turned around slowly to see Pitch Black as he lounged on her bed. She shuddered and made a mental note to request for a new bed once this was all over. Pitch grinned horribly and sat up. He threw his feet over the edge.

"I realize that this is sooner than what I had said, but I need you to make your decision now." Pitch stood and crossed to the window. He faced her. "As in_, today_," he sneered.

Flora tried to play dumb, but in reality her heart sank. "What do you mean?" She swallowed. "Dearest," she added. She tried not to gag.

Pitch smiled and strode across the room. "I need you to decide if you want to be on my side of this upcoming war. We can rule the world together! All I need you to do is plant a little something I call… _fear_. I can promise you that every child will believe in you." He stopped and pretended to wipe something off his cloak. "And I will release every Guardian from their respective prisons." He added nonchalantly.

Flora gasped. "You captured, and imprisoned, five of the greatest beings on this planet?!" she asked in disbelief. "Why?"

"Because I had too, you little twat!" Pitch screamed. He took a deep breath. "And I'm about to do the same to you if you don't join me. So what's it going to be? Saving you friends, or joining them, leaving no hope or dreams or fun for the kids? I can assure you that all of the Guardians won't miss you when you're gone. In fact, they probably wouldn't even notice that you left them and their precious _wonder._ If you deny what I'm offering then you will join them where I stashed the Guardians and then you would be gone forever as well." He smiled maliciously. He held out his hand. "Trust me, Flora. They will be released if you join me. You have two choices. Choose wisely."

Flora was silent through Pitch's monologue. She had been secretly sending messages to Bunnymund, but for some reason he wasn't coming to her aid. She sent numerous Christmas roses and dozens of Monkshood but he never answered. _Maybe Pitch is right, _she thought. _Maybe they really don't care about me. _Besides, even if she joined Pitch then her friends would be saved. They just wouldn't have to deal with her anymore. She thought hard for a few more moments.

Flora took his hand.


	12. Chapter 12

Hello everyone! As I get closer to writing the end of this wonderful story, I can't help but feel bittersweet. Writing the story of Flora has been absolutely thrilling and I want to thank each and every one of you lovely people who have decided to read this fanfic. It's been so much fun! I love how I've gotten to learn a lot about Flora as I've written these last few chapters. I've watched Flora develop into a character that I'm really proud of, and I can honestly say that I'll miss this fic when it's finished. I'm trying to stretch out these last few chapters because it's a lot of stuff that's going on and I'm trying to make sure everything is perfect.

A few important updates: I'm planning on rewriting the first few chapters when I get the chance (I'll add more detail, smooth out a few kinks, and fix any grammatical errors). I'll tell you when I do that (I'll write an author's note in some later chapter that will advertise it).

I'm also thinking about making a sequel- should I? I have a few characters down, I just need a yummy plot. I don't want to use Pitch as a villain again. Any suggestions? I will take any ideas.

I also want to say a huge thank you to my friend Kyle. He's supported me with this epic journey of writing Flora's story (even though he's told me soooo many times that he hates Tooth and North being "together"), and I just wanted to say thank you. Kyle, even though you're better at using chopsticks than I am, you rock!

I was also going to say something else, but I forgot. Sorry.

Anyway, thank you for reading Nightmares and Blossoms! Watch out for the next few chapters! (To be honest: I cried while I wrote them) And thank you, who ever is reading this, for sticking by Flora's side. She appreciates it.

And now, on to the story!

* * *

...

_Darkness ate at her bones. It picked her clean like vultures a carcass._

_Was she alive? She didn't know. _

_Was she breathing? She didn't know._

_It was dark and confusing. She felt trapped in a cage. She tried to fight, but... she was not strong enough._

_Could she escape?_

_She didn't know._

_Was she scared?_

_Yes._

_She was more than that. _

...

"Hey, Tooth?" Jack edged over to the left side of his cage. At least, he thought it as the left side; his cage was circular. _Do circles have sides?_ He couldn't tell, especially with how dark it was. _Man, was it Pitch Black in here!_

"Yes, Jack?" Her voice sounded week. It was nearing nightfall and she wasn't able to command her army of mini fairies to collect the teeth. She was losing believers. She looked up at Jack's cage. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, um, nothing, I just… have this feeling that something bad is about to happen to Flora. Is North alright? He took a nasty blow to the head when Pitch attacked us." Jack gazed down at the Tooth Fairy. Her lilac eyes glimmered in the rising moon. They weren't as bright as they normally were.

Tooth sighed. "Yes, I did the best that I could. It would be better if we had Phil or even Flora here to heal him. He's sleeping, now, in his cage. Is Sandy still trying to contact Bunnymund?"

Jack glanced over at the cage to his right. Sandy was attempting to send out a stream of sleep sand to try and communicate with Bunnymund and Flora. Since it was nearing nightfall, Sandy needed to deliver his dreams to the children, but he was stuck in a cage as well. He could only manage a thin stream of sand and even then it would fade quickly. He was losing his believers as well. Jack looked back at Tooth.

"He's not doing so well." He noticed that her wings were useless as she tried to fly for the thirteenth time in five minutes. "And you're not doing so hot, either."

"Thanks, Jack," Tooth said dryly. "What would I do without you?" She rolled her eyes. North grumbled to himself and sat up slowly. Tooth made a noise of happiness and scrambled to the side of the cage where she could reach out her hand to him.

Jack frowned. "Hey, there's no need to get snippy with me. I'm not the one who got us into this mess. I only want to get us out of Pitch's cave so we can try to get to Flora and Bunnymund before it's too late." Suddenly the doors to the cages opened. Jack blinked. "Well that was unexpected."

"Yeh won't believe it, mate," said a gruff voice. Bunnymund hopped out of the shadows. "It was more than unexpected. But we're too late." His eyes were a soft red, like he had been crying. Tooth crawled to the edge of her cage and looked wildly around him. Her wings fluttered uselessly behind her.

"Where's Flora?" She said worriedly. "Where is she?" Her eyes narrowed. "Are you the imposter who told us to go to the Warren, or the real Aster?"

Bunnymund scowled. "An imposter? Tooth, have you gone mad?" He frowned and rubbed his chin. "Actually, that makes sense. Pitch sent an imposter North to tell Flora that the plants in her room were dyin'. He must have sent you a trap as well." Bunnymund quickly launched into the story of how Flora left and was now at the castle. "She kept sending me messages telling me she was in danger and that she needed my help." He explained the secret code they used after seeing Jack's confused face. "She sent so many monkshoods that it covered the floor of a forest, but I was trapped in a cage and I couldn't get out."

Suddenly North coughed. He shook his head and noticed Bunnymund. "Bunny!" He said in surprise. He swung his legs over the edge of the opened cage and grinned. "What are you doing here?" He laughed. "Here to join the party?"

Tooth smiled softly, happy that he was back to normal. She leaned her head out of her cage and said to him, "Now is not the time for jokes, North. We have to figure out a way to get out of here."

North looked at her sternly. "Oh, Tooth. If this is not the time for jokes then when will it be? We have to have a light heart when facing this delicate situation." He turned to Bunnymund. "So you say she is at the workshop?"

Bunnymund nodded. "And I'm positive Pitch is there."

North sighed. "I was afraid something like this would happen. Flora was bound to attract the attention from someone, someone who wanted to use her for evil. She is very powerful." He hopped down from cage to cage until he reached the floor where Bunnymund was. He put his hand on the rabbit's shoulder. "We will rescue Flora and put Pitch back in his place once and for all."

Jack jumped and floated to the ground. "But two thirds of us are suffering from the consequences of disbelief. How can we do this? How can we rescue Flora?"

North smiled sadly. "Leave that to me, I can handle that part. But I am worried what Pitch has done to Flora; or rather, what he plans to do. We have everything at stake here."

Tooth fluttered down to the ground unsteadily. Jack stood next to Bunnymund and Sandy joined them as well.

North sighed and faced the moonlight that shined down from the entrance to the cave. "We have never faced a greater threat… and so, we will fight."

* * *

"How're yeh feelin', Toothie?" Bunnymund shouted at the flying hummingbird hybrid. They were in a race to get to the workshop before Pitch did anything too major.

Tooth grinned back at him. "Believed in!" They followed the underground tunnel to the workshop. North, Jack, and Sandy slid along behind them. Shouts of joy echoed throughout the tunnel. Except for Sandy, that is. He just looked like the happiest person on earth.

North had called in for help since Tooth and Sandy couldn't function properly without the children believing in them. The Russian man had contacted a few immortal beings to help do their jobs.

"Hey, it's a good thing the Groundhog wasn't doing anything tonight, eh, Bunnymund?" Jack called to the racing rabbit. Bunnymund rolled his eyes and muttered, "I hate that Groundhog."

Tooth frowned at Bunnymund. "Aster, that wasn't nice. It was nice of him to stand in for me and direct the traffic for my girls. Pretty much all of the teeth have been collected in just a few hours. I need him to tell me how he planned that," she added to herself. Bunnymund chuckled. She glanced at him. "And anyway, now half of my mini fairies are free to help with… whatever may happen tonight," she said softly. She looked at Bunnymund. He ignored her and kept quiet as they raced through the tunnel. The opening to North's workshop appeared and Bunnymund held out his hand.

"Alright," he said, and turned to face the other Guardians. "We need to go ova' the plan again. We'll send in a mini fairy first, and then…"

* * *

Flora took his hand. Pitch grinned horribly and squeezed her thin fingers.

"You made an excellent choice, Flora. I hope you won't mind playing host to a friend of mine." He whistled and the door swung open. A Nightmare reared and let out a high whinny, a sight both terrifying and intriguing at the same time. She trotted into the room and stood across from the pair triumphantly.

Flora frowned. "Wait, I thought I was only going to plant some stupid seed. What do you mean, '_play host'_?" There was no mistake of the sarcasm in her voice.

Pitch's yellow eyes gleamed. He gestured around him. "We're claiming this workshop as our base. For you to play host, well, it would be the polite thing to do. But, before we start," his eyes traveled up and down her body. He shook his head at her green dress. "I'm afraid we need a change in… attire." He snapped his fingers, and before she knew what was going on, Flora watched in slow motion as the Nightmare galloped across the room and exploded. It encased her in a cloud of Nightmare sand, and she could feel it enter inside of her. Flora fought hard and tried to expel the sand from her body, but failed. It was just too strong. She felt like her mind was pushed to the side and trapped inside a bubble. She was mixed in with the Nightmare. They had become one.

Flora fell to her knees. After a few moments she stood up.

Her eyes were a dark black and her thick hair had turned straight and the color of ebony. Gone were the soft brown waves; gone were the deep green eyes. Her skin no longer radiated with sunshine dust; it had turned pale and Nightmare dust took its place, giving her a spooky, ethereal look. Her body, thin and slender already, looked even thinner. Her collarbone stuck out like a knife. Flora (_but it wasn't Flora anymore_) looked down at her dress, the only remnant left of the fairy. Even her wings had changed, looking more silver and tattered than the old gossamer-like appeal.

"My God, I have no taste in clothing." Flora poked at her dress. A bead popped off and rolled under the bed. "Why is it so… _green_?" She spat out the last word as though it tasted bad.

Pitch chuckled and snapped his fingers. At once the tunic melted into a strapless black dress that had a very full skirt, much like a ball gown of some sort. The sleeves went to her dainty wrists and were embroidered with a silvery thread. The corseted waist made her look even thinner than before. More silver embroidery embellished the top part of her dress, and little crystals made from frozen nightmares were sewn on in an intricate design. Black high heeled boots appeared on her feet and lace tights adorned her legs. Her skirt nearly touched the ground and it made a satisfying swishing sound whenever she moved.

Flora looked up. Her black eyes sparkled in a scary way. "Thank you, my Lord."

Pitch held out his arm. "Come, Flora. We shall discuss our first plan of action. Let's go to the Globe so we can watch every light vanish… together. We shall plan how to destroy the Guardians."

Flora took his arm. "Let's."

As the pair traveled to the Globe, they didn't notice a small, twittering mini fairy hovering outside of the window. It gasped when it heard Pitch and Flora discuss about destroying the Guardians. The mini fairy flew away from the window and back to where the Guardians were hiding. She had to tell them this.

* * *

"Wait, wait, wait, wait. You're tellin' me that _Flora_ is now Pitch's _assistant_?" Bunnymund exclaimed. He pulled on his long ears. "Are you yanking my leg?"

Tooth touched the mini fairy. "Are you sure, sweetie?" The mini fairy nodded its head. Tooth sighed. "Is Flora hurt? Is she alright?"

Bunnymund held up his paws. "Can we just hold on a minute? Flora is now Pitch's assistant. _My_ Flora." He paused, embarrassed. "I mean, _our_ Flora. With her powers she might be able to destroy the world! With just a snap of those blasted fingers she could kill _every single_ plant on this planet." Bunnymund pounded his fist on the table. "Do we not know how dangerous she could potentially be?"

Jack smirked. "Do you not know how dangerous _we_ could potentially be?" He said quietly. Bunnymund rounded on him.

"Oh, no, boy, don't you start. We are in the middle of a crisis that could end the world." Bunnymund shook his finger. "This is no time for smirks."

North held up his hands. "Bunny, take it easy. This is no time to get worked up. We will save her." He gently laid a hand on the rabbit's arm. "Calm down."

Bunnymund took a deep breath. He looked at the mini fairy, who looked terrified. He forced a painful smile and said, "Is she alright?"

The mini fairy started to jabber away to Tooth, whose expression slowly turned from joy to horror. Tooth gasped and brought her hands to her mouth. Tears welled up in her eyes and she turned to face North. "She's changed," she sobbed quietly. "The mini fairy says she's changed."

"Changed? Wha-what d'you mean, 'changed?'" Bunnymund grabbed Tooth's arm. He looked her straight in the eye. "Tooth. Tell me."

Tooth glanced at North. He nodded. Tooth opened her mouth. "She… she's different now." She said. She lowered her eyes. "The mini fairy said that Flora isn't cheery and kind anymore. She's cruel and vicious, just like Pit—"

"Don't say his _name_." Bunnymund growled. Tooth nodded and continued. Tears fell down her face.

"The mini fairy says that a Nightmare entered Flora. I'm guessing that Pit- I mean, You-Know-Who- needed something that was dark and evil enough to change her from the inside out." Tooth touched Bunnymund's arm. "She doesn't look the same, Aster. With all of that hatred and darkness inside of her, it made her change appearance."

Bunnymund turned away from Tooth and the others. This was almost too much for him to handle.

_"Tooth would be a better choice; she at least can _handle_ being nice to me-"_

_"Tooth would be a helluva lot better at this than me! And besides, with Easter comin' I have to paint the eggs." Flora's words registered in his brain. "Wait, what do you mean by 'handle'? I can bloody _handle _you-" _

Bunnymund felt yet another hand on his arm.

"Hey, man, it'll be alright in the end." Jack said. He smiled and shrugged. "We'll get Flora back. I promise."

Bunnymund nodded his head. He faced the other Guardians.

"We can do this," He said quietly. "We may have to prepare to fight. Last year was pretty rough, and we might not be finished in time for Easter—"

"Oh, Aster!" Tooth cried. "Easter- your eggs!" She turned to North. "Should we ask the Groundhog if he could finish the eggs and get them delivered?"

Bunnymund shuddered. "Oh, the Groundhog is not goin' anywhere _near_ my eggs." He took a deep breath. "We may have to prepare ourselves for battle. Pitch proved only too well last year that he's capable of tearing us apart. We don't need a repeat of that. And if we have to use force, then so be it. But I have to be the one who helps Flora."

The other Guardians nodded.

Bunnymund smirked. "Let's go and get our fairy back."

* * *

Stay tuned for the next chapter! I'm finishing it up right now(:


	13. Chapter 13

This chapter is quite long. There was just so much to say that I couldn't help myself. The next chapter is still being written, and the ending is coming along quite nicely. Now that school is out (we let out yesterday and I'm officially a Junior in high school!) I can definitely write more. I hope that you enjoy this long-awaited chapter!

* * *

"… and then we can take their believers and force them to believe in us! Eh? How does that one sound?"

Flora yawned and stretched her arms. "Borring!" Her black eyes glinted. "Tell me something original."

"Well why don't you just give us an idea?" Pitch snarled. He sat back in his chair and glared at Flora. "Go on, I'm listening."

Flora looked out the window. There was a storm brewing, she knew it. She walked to the opened glass. Her skirt made a satisfying s_wish-swish-swish_ sound while her heels clicked elegantly off the floor. She enjoyed the sound; it made her feel excellent and mature. She looked outside and frowned. There, far off in the distance, she could see a faint blue object flying around in the clouds. Something else flew around the blue thing erratically. Flora shrugged. She must be seeing things.

"When can I plant that seed?" Flora whined and turned back to Pitch. "You know, the one you promised me? And when will I get my believers?" Her eyes flashed. Pitch grinned inwardly when he realized that Flora had become just as he wanted: as ruthless and dark as he. His plan was working and there was no filthy Guardian around to ruin it!

"Soon, my dear. Soon. We must wait for the right moment, and that moment is not right now." Pitch thought for a moment. He brightened and held up a finger. "How about we… burn all of the food crops so the humans won't be able to eat? And then fear will rise and so will we!"

Flora shuddered. She walked away from the window and crossed the room. "No fire. I don't like that stuff one bit." She looked at Pitch. "How about we do something with that shady Jack Frost character you mentioned earlier? He seems easy to sway."

Pitch waved her off. "Been there, done that. What we need is to somehow take those lights—" He pointed at the huge Globe in front of them. "And turn them off."

"Yeh won't get that far with that one, Pitch," said a gruff voice from behind them. Flora and Pitch turned around in unison. The latter hissed angrily. Flora reflexively rose off the ground and hovered in mid air.

"How did you get past my Nightmares?" Pitch growled. The tall Australian rabbit smirked. He was unfamiliar to Flora but Pitch recognized him.

"You should train your Nightmares to not fall asleep so easily." He said. A tiny golden man (who was also unknown to Flora) appeared from behind him and mimed wiping his hands clean with a smug look on his face. Pitch screamed in anger.

"Hey, there's no need for this." Flora said and stepped in between them and blocked Pitch. "You can leave now." She said to the large rabbit. She saw something familiar in his green eyes that made her feel like she knew him from somewhere but she couldn't place her finger on it. She saw something in his eyes soften at the sight of her. In a blink that softness was gone and was replaced by pity. Flora scowled. Why should he pity her? She was fine just the way she was.

He called behind him, "You sure this is her, Tooth?" His eyes never left hers. A mix between a human and a hummingbird flittered in through the open window. A few mini fairies followed after her, as did a boy with pale skin and white hair. The hummingbird fairy gasped when she saw Flora. She held her hand to her mouth and tears filled her eyes. She nodded, apparently unable to speak. "She's changed so much, Aster." She whispered.

Flora stamped her foot. "Will someone please tell me what is going on and who are these people? I mean," She added with a mischievous grin. "Who is this person, rabbit, midget, and crossbreed thing?" A huge man in a red coat tumbled through the window as well and collapsed on top of the hummingbird and boy. Flora rolled her eyes. "And giant oaf."

"You mean you don't recognize us?" The boy with white hair asked. His deep blue eyes were sad. He looked at the rabbit. "Flora's always been stubborn but now she's even worse. This is going to be harder than we thought."

"Bloody hell it will," he retorted. The rabbit turned to face her. "What's your name?" he said, and peered at her closely. Flora's eyes flashed.

"You just asked that girl if I was the one you're looking for!" She exclaimed. "I'm assuming you know what my name is." Flora frowned. She glanced at the white haired boy. "Wait, how did you know my name?"

The rabbit smirked and pushed her aside. "Yeah, this is definitely Flora, though perhaps a bit meaner. Tooth, do you have the secret weapon?"

Flora snapped her fingers in his face. "Hey! Don't push me around. Who are you?" Nobody noticed the white Christmas rose that sneakily grew in the corner of the room but Bunnymund. His heart soared. _The real Flora was still in there somewhere!_ "I'm the Easter Bunny." He said haughtily. He crossed his arms and looked down upon her.

Flora eyed him up and down. "More like the Easter kangaroo." She smirked.

"The-the what? What are you calling me? I am not a kangaroo, mate. I'm a bunny. The Easter Bunny." Bunnymund poked her chest. She slapped his hand away.

"Watch it, bud. Ever heard of personal space?"

"Crikey, we need to change her back." Bunnymund noticed Pitch slipping into the shadows. "Oi, come back, you!" He drew his boomerangs and held them in a warrior stance. "Tooth, North- find him, and Jack, help them! Sandy, stay here and guard the door. Tooth, I need the teeth." Tooth tossed him a shiny golden cylinder and he stashed it in his belt. North drew his swords and mumbled under his breath in Russian. He was clearly upset about being an enemy in his own home.

Bunnymund turned to Flora, or rather, what used to be the Flora he knew. When he had walked in the Globe room he almost didn't recognize the girl he had fallen in love with. This girl surely wasn't the girl he knew. She glared at him with hateful black eyes. _Where were the green, joyful eyes he knew?_

"We need to get you out of here," he said, and grabbed her hand. It was cold to the touch. "Let's go."

"Let's not." She yanked her hand out of his reach. Tooth flew back to where they were.

"We can't find him. He's left." Tooth noticed Flora's crestfallen face. "Sweetie, it's alright. We're here to rescue you."

"Well, I don't need to be rescued."

"Well, sometimes we say things we don't mean." Tooth referred to being called a "crossbreed thing". Apparently that was offensive to her.

A loud neigh made the three of them jump. They looked at the door and saw the Sandman trying to hold the door closed as many Nightmares tried to force their way into the room. Flora held up her hand. Bunnymund noticed and shouted at her but it was too late. With a smirk she snapped her fingers and a vine of thorns grew out of the ground and knocked Sandy out of the way and then turned the door handle.

Bunnymund noticed two other Christmas roses pop up out of the ground in the corner of his eye.

The door burst open and a dozen Nightmares poured into the room. They trampled each other in their haste to get into the room the fastest.

Tooth frowned and made a bird call. Dozens of mini fairies poured into the room through the window. They created a line of battle and Tooth held up her hand and cried, "Come on, girls! Let's do some damage!"

The mini fairies gave a war cry and plunged into the mess of tangled Nightmares. Tooth dove straight in as well and her wings became surprisingly sharp and blade-like as she tried her best to defeat the enemy. She sliced through every Nightmare with ease; the mini fairies air-dived the heads of the skeletal horses and tried to gouge out their yellow eyes. Within moments the Nightmares were gone. Tooth looked around triumphantly until she noticed Sandy lying motionless on the floor.

"Sandy!" She cried, and rushed to him. There was black sand pouring out of a wound where a Nightmare must have struck him in the head. North stumbled into the room carrying an unconscious Jack. He laid the white haired boy next to the tiny golden man. Tooth looked at the cylinder of teeth in Bunnymund's belt.

"Aster, we need Flora now than ever." She jerked her head towards the open door. The sound of more thundering hooves approached them. "We'll hold them off for as long as we can. Please, _hurry_. We need her."

Bunnymund nodded. He had never heard so much desperation in her voice. He watched as Tooth stood with a determined look on her beautiful face. She hovered in midair and waited for the oncoming storm. All at once the Nightmares spilled into the Globe room as she held up a closed fist and cried, "Wings up, ladies, and _take no prisoners!"_

Bunnymund grabbed the cylinder out of his belt and held it out to Flora. She backed away from him. "What is that?" She said worriedly.

Bunnymund chuckled. He held out the golden tube. "This? This is the key to your past. It will help you remember what's important to you. I know that you're in there Flora, and I know that you've been yearnin' to learn who you were before you became Mother Nature. I know that's not who you are now, but deep down inside you know that you are not this kind of person. This isn't the Flora I've gotten to know. This is the Flora who made a mistake that we can fix. Please, just take this and everything can go back to normal."

Flora narrowed her eyes. "Why should I trust you?"

"Because you can. Have a little faith, wouldja?" Bunnymund sighed. "Look, whoever you are, I know that there's a fairy inside of you who's probably itching to come out. Her past has been wiped from her memory. Just allow her to have this one last thing before we're all possibly killed tonight."

"What's in it for me?" She snarled. Bunnymund was appalled.

"Are you serious? Are you bloody serious." Bunnymund rolled his eyes. "Could you be any more difficult?" He grabbed her hand. "Oh, you're going to turn back to normal, whether you like it or not, yeh shelia."

"Why do you keep saying that? What if I want to be this way?" She paused. "Oh, don't look at me like that, Bunnymund. What, do you have some sort of crush on me? Have you taken a fancy to me? You know, ever since I became infused with the Nightmare I've realized just how pathetic the Guardians are. With your precious wonder and hope. That's what your center is, correct? _Hope_? What a disgusting word. Well, _I_ have _hope_ that you will bloody _leave me alone_." Flora rolled her eyes. "You want to know what else I have to say? I'm glad I left your little team. I felt so alone in the world and Pitch had promised me so much that I left the Guardians to be on his side. I'm on the winning side for once, it seems! How lucky am I? He promised me believers, Bunnymund. Could you do that?" She grinned at his slackened jaw. "Didn't think so, you lovesick fool."

"I… I…" Bunnymund stared at her. What had she become? She had turned into a monster. Oh, just wait until he got his hands on that bastard's neck for turning his Flora into this.

"I-I-I-I." Flora mocked. She grinned cruelly. "What's wrong, cat got your tongue? Or have I just captured the heart of an immortal?" Flora flapped her wings, hideous things that revolted Bunnymund. They reminded him of torn souls tortured with fear. She flew above him. "There are diviner things out there, Bunny, diviner things that can't wait to tear you into shreds. Aren't you excited for what's about to come? Can't you feel it in the air? Everything you know is going to change!"

"Some_one_ I know already changed, and for the worst," Bunnymund snarled. He held out his hand. "Do us a favor and accept our help. Don't you see two injured men over there? The Flora I once knew would drop everything to help them."

Flora flew towards him and got in his face. He was reminded of their first meeting, when she got in his face for the first time, all those years ago. She jammed her thin finger into his chest. "Newsflash, kid. Things are different now. It's time for you to abdicate the throne because Pitch and I are about to rule the world."

"And that we shall, my dear," a soothing voice said. A dark figure rose from the shadows and curled a protective hand over Flora's shoulder, his gray skin taught over his bones. Bunnymund felt the strongest urge to reach forward and snap the hand that was on her shoulder in half. Pitch held something in his the other hand behind him. "Did I miss something? Or are we just standing around having a nice chat?"

"You could call it that," Bunnymund spat. He glanced over at Tooth fighting the Nightmares alongside North. They weren't doing so well. Within minutes they were bound to be finished off. "Did yeh have a grand old time brainwashin' Flora? Because she certainly isn't what she was before. What did yeh do to her, eh?"

Pitch smiled. "I did nothing. She wanted this; I merely provided what was necessary." Flora nodded as if she were to confirm his statement. "I have produced the most perfect soldier in existence. She will help me achieve something no Guardian can ever understand: the absolute control of the world. Fear is needed to obtain dominance."

"That's where you're wrong, Pitch." Bunnymund shook his head. "Fear isn't needed for anything. If you look deep inside you'll just see that you're just a scared little man who needs to bully others who are smaller than him just to feel big. Go back to your hole, Pitch, and get out of our dreams."

Pitch puffed out his chest. He tightened his hand on Flora's shoulder. She looked up at him and he nodded. She turned around and settled to gaze into Bunnymund's eyes. At once he felt something weld his feet to the ground. He looked down and saw vines (regular, green vines; no thorns in sight) growing out of the ground and wrapping around his feet. He tried to lift his foot but found he couldn't. He was stuck.

Pitch leaned around Flora's shoulder. "How about we go and plant that seed?" he said. Flora's black eyes widened in surprise. She fought to keep a grin off of her face as she replied, "I would like that. Let's go."

Bunnymund struggled against the vines as the pair walked away. They wound themselves around his body and pulled tight. He knew he had one last chance before Flora would destroy the world. Desperate, Bunnymund shouted, "Don't listen to him, Flora; he's going to trick you! Once you've done his dirty work he'll get rid of you!"

Flora froze and stood still for a moment. She whirled around to face the Nightmare King. "Is this true?" She snarled. Pitch didn't deny it; he just smiled that awful smile. She turned back to Bunnymund. "You're lying. You're lying and you're crazy," she told him.

"My dear, what's with the sudden change of heart? Don't you _want_ to do this?" Pitch wrapped his arm with hers. He forced her face away from Bunnymund. "Come, now. We must be on our way."

"Well, yes, I want to do this, but…"

"But what? Has that silly rabbit gotten into your head? You're stronger than that!"

Bunnymund noticed that the vines had started to slip off of him. He quickly shook them off and ran in front of Flora. He grabbed her shoulders and stared deeply into her doubtful eyes. "Do you not even remember Melody? Or Lily? Or the face of a little kid when they find one of your flowers? Flora, is there even any part of you still in there? Because all I see is an empty shell filled with hate." There was no mistake of the amount of sadness in his voice. Bunnymund held out the canister. "Here. I think you need this now more than ever."

Flora looked at it and felt something inside of her cold heart melt away. She heard the desperation in Bunnymund's voice; she saw how hard the other Guardians were fighting against the Nightmares. Jack and Sandy could be dead for all they knew. Her frozen heart melted a little bit more when she saw the hurt in Bunnymund's eyes. She reached out to take the canister.

"Ah-ah-ah," Pitch gently blocked her arm. She turned and seethed at him. "Kindly remember that we planned to get _rid_ of the Guardians, not to accept _help_ from them."

She frowned at him and pushed his arm away. She gently turned the cylinder over and over in her thin hands. She traced the sides of the canister and looked at the little picture of a young girl with dark brown hair and green eyes. She gazed longingly at it. "Flora," Pitch said quickly. "How about we finish up these Guardians and go out into the world and cause some destruction?"

"No," she said quietly. She held the container of teeth in her hands tightly. She stared at the opening. Her finger hovered over the lid.

"Excuse me?" Pitch said indignantly. He narrowed his eyes. He grabbed her arm and wrenched it away from the lid. "What did you just say?"

"I said _no_," Flora said a bit more forcefully. "Did I mumble, Pitch?" She glared at him. He noticed that her eyes weren't quite as black as before and her skin was not as pale. "Or do I need to repeat myself?"

"Flora, might I remind you that I promised you greatness? That I promised you something better than what these Guardians could ever offer you?" Pitch seemed to fade from the air in front of them. Flora backed away from him. Her brow was furrowed. She pointed towards the window.

"Leave this place. You are too dark for your own good."

Pitch made an unattractive sound in the back of his throat. He noticed that Tooth and North had finished up his Nightmares and that Jack had raised, haven woken up from his faint. Bunnymund crossed his arms threateningly and Flora blew some (brown!) hair out of her face. Pitch turned and melted into the shadows.  
"I'll be back. Stay away from the heat, my sweet." And then he was gone.

The room seemed to stand still. Tooth and Jack rushed to Sandy's side as Bunnymund exhaled sharply and touched Flora's shoulder softly. She turned to look at him. Green eyes shadowed with gold shimmery sunshine dust stared into his eyes. He grabbed her hand and pressed the small cylinder of memories into her palm.

She glanced wildly around. "Bunnymund, I-"

He shook his head. "There's time for that later. Just go."

Flora gave him a look of longing and took a deep breath. She opened her mouth to argue more but she found that with a glance from Bunnymund she lowered her eyes. With one last look around her, she touched the small golden box and at once her mind felt like it was forced through a tube. She felt her eyes close and her mind exploded with memories. Were these hers? She saw snatches of a village, two girls walking together, a garden, and a crying woman before her mind settled on a quaint scene of a little girl no older than three digging in the dirt outside of a small wooden house. Flora smiled when she saw the little girl, but felt confused. Was this her memory? It didn't seem like it. Where was she? Flora's concentration was broken when the back door to the small house opened.

"Florence, get out of the garden and come inside!" A young woman called. "I can't take my eyes off of you for one moment, now can I? Come on, let's get you cleaned up." The young woman sighed. Flora watched as the tiny toddler with long, thick brown hair pushed herself onto teetering legs and stumbled to the woman, obviously her mother. The young girl looked sadly back at the garden as her mother picked her up and began to scold her. She looked as though she wanted nothing more than to be in the garden. Her bright green eyes were evident even from a distance. Flora gasped with sudden recognition. _That's me!_ She laughed. Her love of nature was apparent even when she was nothing but a babe.

The scene suddenly changed to what was evidently some sort of celebration. Adults sat inside the small house and talked amongst themselves gaily while other children ran around the yard noisily. The little girl with green eyes, a few years older now, helped a smaller girl walk outside. They were clearly set apart from the other children. The smaller girl had a tuft of blonde hair and bottle-blue eyes and was still quite the chubby toddler. The younger sister clapped and sang loudly, trying to be like the older kids.

"Hush, Elizabeth!" The older girl exclaimed quietly. She pointed at a small plant growing up out of the yard. "Do you see the seedling?" She had a very serious face. The younger sister instantly mimicked the girl next to her, only her grave expression made her look very somber. "Do you?"

"Yes, Flo'," Elizabeth said slowly. She crouched down to the ground. "It's green and it points out of the ground." She patted the dirt softly. She giggled at a caterpillar.

Florence (Flora guessed what her name was) knelt down beside her. "One day it will grow into something beautiful. It might not look pretty now, but it will be. One day."

The scene changed again. Florence, a good five or six years older than in the last memory, was in the garden. She dug hole after hole in the dirt. Elizabeth walked along behind her and dropped seeds into each hole. The sun was hot as the girls worked in silence. Elizabeth hummed quietly to herself. Flora watched silently as Florence noticeably clenched her jaw.

"For God's sake, Elizabeth, can't you do anything but hum that song?" Florence threw her tool down and went to the well to get a bucket of water. She lowered the pulley and waited for her sister to respond. "Well?"

Elizabeth sighed and put her tool down as well. She pulled her long blonde hair out of her face as she stood. "Florence, I know how the other kids tease you with that song. But they just don't understand how magnificent flowers are! Who cares if they call you Mary? '_Mary, Mary, quite contrary_…' that silly song has nothing to do with you or the sheer beauty of nature. I'm surprised you listen to them at all with how utterly stupid they are. You are smarter than them, especially that idiotic_ Susan_." She rolled her eyes and smiled at her older sister. "And you can grow anything out of the ground with just a smile. Remember what Mama and Papa say?" She grinned.

Florence looked at her younger sister. Her long blonde hair, which was bright like the sun, was so unlike her own wavy dark brown hair. Her sister was pale skinned and fair, and no matter how much time they spent in the sun she never got a freckle. Florence's own nose had a splatter of freckles across the bridge, which she detested most thoroughly. They looked so different from each other that the gossipy women in the village tell each other that Elizabeth had a different father than Florence did. Florence scowled. What lies. She couldn't stand this village. She couldn't wait until she was older so she could leave and be a botanist like her father.

But she knew that wouldn't happen. Women were supposed to stay at home and care for their husbands and have child after child until they couldn't have any more. Women weren't supposed to like getting dirty and were supposed to admire flowers from afar, not plant them in the ground themselves. Women were supposed to be quiet and speak only when spoken too, unlike Florence, who had a bit of a temper when it came to minding her place. Florence knew her mother worried that no eligible bachelor would want to have her as a wife. Her sister Elizabeth was only thirteen years old and already the village boys were starting to look at her differently, even the ones who were Florence's age of fifteen.

Florence pulled herself back to the present. Elizabeth looked at her strangely, and she quickly answered, "That even when I walk, flowers grow in my footsteps, I know, but the others—"

"Who cares what the others think? You're _Florence Lily Mayweather_! The others only care about what's proper and what's not, but _you_? _You_ care about other things, things more important than hair ribbons and whether or not if your petticoat is showing! You want to travel the world, see new things and discover unidentified plants—"

"Flowers."

"And discover unidentified flowers." Elizabeth grinned. She held out her hand to Florence. "So what do you say? Want to continue planting?"

Florence sighed and looked up at the sky. There had to be something out there who understood what she went through on a day to day basis. The moon, not quite hidden away on this spring day, seemed to acknowledge her. Florence felt something within her calm down. She felt peaceful now, and the anger she had felt a few moments ago had disappeared. She nodded back at the moon and grabbed her sister's hand with a thin smile.

"Alright, we need some silver bells over here and cockle shells over there… some lilies would be perfect. Lavender can go here, and rosemary can go there…"

The memory faded and the scene changed. Florence sat at a table with her family. The mood was tense. Her mother nursed a newborn baby while her father scribbled notes in a field journal. Florence looked up at the ceiling and tried to imagine a new way to plant some herbs in her garden to achieve maximum stability and Elizabeth stared dreamily out of the window and jolted to attention when her mother cleared her throat. Both girls ignored each other. It seemed to Flora that the closeness the sisters had shared once before was now gone.

"Florence, what are you thinking about?" Her mother asked as she tried to burp her son. Florence glared at the floor.

"Nothing." _Lies._ She wondered if putting rosemary next to mint would affect anything. If she put thyme beside chives something might happen, though. She had learned that the hard way.

"Dear heart, we can't keep you here forever," her mother sighed. "You're seventeen years old. I was married and pregnant with you by the time I was seventeen. I had several suitors by the age of fifteen, which is a little older than your sister's age now. You, on the other hand, have none."

Florence cringed. Her mother had a special way of rubbing in her accomplishments to make Florence feel unsure of herself.

"You need to get out of the garden and into the kitchen. You know how people work: the women who can cook the best and who look the best get what they want. I'm not saying that you're not worthy of having a family, but with you studying alongside your father and being educated and _knowing things,_ well… that just puts some gentlemen off. Over half of the people in our village can't read and yet here you are, quoting Shakespeare and discussing scientific articles with your father." Her mother sighed and handed her son to her husband, who took the tiny boy with surprise.

"Sir Isaac Newton and Thomas Johnson can only get you so far in life, dear." Florence's mother went to the kitchen and brought back a plate of roast beef. She started to fill everyone's plate.

Florence had been silent during this whole lecture. Sure, she knew that with her being able to read and write would throw off some potential suitors, but what did she care? She wanted to learn and travel the world. She had a thirst for knowledge that she was unable to fill. She wanted to discover new flowers. She wanted to plant gardens just for the enjoyment of the children in their village.

Florence looked up at her mother. "What if I don't want the same life that you have?" Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at her sister, as did her father. "I don't want to be just something that you can look at. I don't want to be just a pretty face." She stood up. "All my life you've told me to sit up straight and to paint my face and to act like a lady, but I don't want to. The flowers call for me, they want me to care for them and spread them around. I know that my education pushes away some people but it doesn't matter to me. My own _sister_ won't talk to me because of how the other villagers treat me. All she does is play with those bloody animals when she's not busy with being wooed by that rubbish she calls a beau." Elizabeth lowered her head.

Florence squared her shoulders. "I've seen how children react with my flowers. They take joy in seeing them. And I can't focus on bringing them joy if I have you _breathing down my neck and tearing my dreams apart_. It shouldn't matter if I'm a girl, I should be allowed to be happy. I'm a person too."

The scene faded. It opened to show Florence as she ran through a forest. Her skirts were hiked well above her knees and her hair was all over the place. A crackling in the distance made Flora (who hovered unseen in the distance) cry out. Florence was in the middle of a raging forest fire. A tree branch fell, almost crushing Florence; she screamed and ran even faster. She dodged a smoking bush and swerved around a tree that was covered in flames. Sparks drifted around her like fireflies. She ran under a crackling tree limb that dipped over her path. The tips of her long brown hair ignited from a small and accidental brush against the limb and Florence shouted in surprise. She stumbled forward, tripped over a rock, and landed on her hands and knees. She shoved her hair out of her face as her back suddenly seared with pain, and saw that she had fallen right next to a small stream of running water. Florence scrambled towards the quickly evaporating stream and dunked her head into the warm water. She sat up after a few moments and smelled singed hair. She pulled the ends of her long hair over her shoulder and saw the damage: nearly four inches of her hair was ruined. She wondered what her mother would say about her not taking proper care of her hair.

_"Young lady, if you want a husband you need to keep yourself pretty! A lady is never seen with her bare face and unbound hair." _She could hear her mother's voice in her ear. Florence rolled her eyes at the thought.

A pop of sparks in the tree above Florence got her attention and screamed at her to move. The girl picked herself up and ran from the small stream just as the tree fell right where she was a few seconds ago. She watched the tree sputter and go out, the water ruthlessly murdering the flames. With a satisfied nod, she jumped over a log and sped through the maze of burning trees. Smoke now clouded her vision. She needed to get to higher ground, and fast.

She saw a steep cliff in the distance and fought her way towards that. She was far from home, her village, and her family. What if she never returned? _No, don't think like that,_ Florence told herself. _You'll make it. You have too. _

Mountains rose in the sky in the distance. They looked like her only chance of freedom. As Florence bounded in the direction of the cliff she saw, she tripped once again over a stray root. She felt her ankle twist in a way that ankles weren't allowed to twist. Cursing vigorously, she stood up slowly. "Damn this skirt and its entirety!" Florence cried and pulled her skirt up even higher. Producing even more vulgar language, language her mother would surely have a stroke from, Florence gingerly stepped on her injured foot. She knew that she had only seconds before the section of trees she was in collapsed on her; Florence gritted her teeth and hobbled to the cliff. Just as she managed to limp away from the area around the stream, she heard multiple trees fall. She had moved just in time.

When Florence made it to the cliff she ripped her skirts to her knees, deciding that she would rather live and climb the cliff than get told off for being indecent and showing her ankles. She adjusted her leather bag, the one she used to collect specimens, over her shoulder. She put her foot in a crook on the wall and hoisted herself up. It was hard to maneuver her injured foot around in the crooks of the wall, but she did what she could. She did not want to get stuck in the burning forest.

"Oh, mother," Florence said softly as she stared out over the forest. "If only you could see me know. It's a shame I had to go and collect some samples, isn't it?" The village had caught an illness that was fatal to most children. The children were getting sick because their immune systems were not strong enough to fight off the infection. Florence had discovered that the helleborewas an herb that could help them, even with the slightest pinch of the herb, and Florence had left the village to collect the herbs before they burned up. "Maybe now you'll realize that flowers can be helpful." In the distance to the west she could see the village where her family lived. Luckily the fire was only in the east side of the forest, though she could see it inch slowly towards the west. She took a deep breath to calm herself.

She paused from her climbing and looked down. She was halfway from the top of the steep cliff and when she looked down she felt a strong wave of dizziness. The ground seemed to be miles away from her. As she gazed over the forest she couldn't help but feel forlorn. This was the forest she used to find her samples and seedlings, one of her favorite places in the world, and it was getting destroyed. Flames licked up the tree trunks like hungry wolves. The sight of the forest being eaten alive by the red and orange matter was reflected in the fear in Florence's green eyes. It was truly terrifying. From her view point she could hear every snap or a tree branch, every pop and spark. She could hear the fire munching on the trees, _her_ trees, as though they were a tasty dinner. Smoke billowed off the treetops and collected over the leaves like a giant rain cloud. Florence wiped her hand on her sweaty brow.

Florence suddenly coughed a hacking cough, and when she wiped her mouth there was a thin streak of blood on the back of her palm. She smiled weakly and said, "Ah, it seems like I have contracted the sickness as well. I told mother that we shouldn't have visited with that foolish Susan and her mother when we knew her brother was ill." She hoisted herself up another place and heard someone call her name. She ignored it, thinking she was hearing things, but when she heard her name again she couldn't help but look over the forest to find the source of the name.

"Florence! Florence, where are you?"

Florence looked around. "Who goes there?" She closed her eyes. She felt faint, and she told herself that she was having a hallucination. There was no way she could be hearing her sister's voice in the middle of a forest fire. When she left the house her sister was in the kitchen, cooking their dinner. She touched the back of her hand to her forehead; she was hotter than boiling water and almost as hot as the smoky air around her. She heard a rustle in the trees behind her. Florence opened her eyes slowly. There, covered in soot and what looked like charred tree bark, was her sister. A few inches of her beautiful blonde hair was singed and her dress was ripped. Her petticoat stuck out of her skirt. Black smears of soot covered her face. She coughed harshly into a handkerchief. Even from a distance Florence could vaguely see the embroidered initials of her sister's latest suitor on the piece of white fabric (though it wasn't so white anymore). If Elizabeth looked this disheveled, then Florence could only guess what she looked like.

"Sister? Elizabeth, is that you? Tell me quick before I lose my breath." Florence stuck her foot in another gap and pulled herself up. She had to get up to the top of the cliff. There might be a clearing on the other side that may have the hellebore that she was looking for.

Elizabeth frowned; she had a crazed look in her eyes. She bent down and picked up the ripped fabric that Florence had thrown aside. "Florence, what happened to your skirt? And _you_ have the sickness, too, you know. You should be at home resting." She glanced behind her. The steady sound of crackling was closer and she jumped up and down somewhat childishly. "We have to leave! The fire is coming fast behind us!" She tried to climb the wall as well. She only climbed so far before she jumped back down. Her long skirt kept her from being agile. "Florence! What are you _doing_?!"

Florence was now only a few footholds from the top of the cliff. She paused to wipe a bead of sweat from her hairline. She coughed again and more blood appeared. "Elizabeth, I'm fine. I have to find some hellebore to help the other villagers. They'll need it."

Elizabeth looked up at her elder sister with sad eyes. "Florence, they have modern medicine." She knew her sister was delirious with fever. It would be a wonder if she could convince her to climb back down without getting hurt. "Please climb down. You're scaring me."

"Modern medicine? What, like alcohol or amputation?" Florence dug her hands securely into the rock. "Elizabeth, someone as smart as you must know that that is not real medicine."

Elizabeth was quiet for a moment. She looked at her sister, who was watching her intently. "_Please?" _she pleaded as Florence pulled herself to the top of the cliff.

"Hellebore is what we need; it's an antibiotic that will help! The whooping cough only responds to the herb, Elizabeth, and modern medicine is no friend to this disease. I thought you knew that." Florence swung her leg over the top of the cliff and looked down at her sister. She fought the urge to faint. "If I can't get back up then I'll just throw the bag over the wall, alright? Oh, sister, don't look at me like that. This is for the best. Our village is steadily decreasing and this will help."

"Florence, you are delirious with a fever! You are sick and you need some rest. Please climb down, you're scaring me!" Elizabeth gestured to the ripped fabric on the ground by her feet. "Mother will be upset with you!" Their younger brother had passed away from the whooping cough. Their mother was delirious as well, though from grief instead of a fever. She was so distraught she didn't even notice Florence had escaped from her bed, or that Elizabeth had gone to find her.

"'Then let her hang me!' Elizabeth, there might be some hellebore on the other side of this cliff. I have to protect the children of our village from this blasted sickness no matter the cost." Florence looked down at her sister. "Surely you know that. I've accepted my fate, have you accepted yours?"

"What 'fate'? What is this about 'acceptation'? Sister, you don't know what you're talking about! You're not acting like yourself!" Elizabeth cried. She flung herself to the ground. "You are not well enough to make the climb! You need to go back home and _rest_!"

"So the children can die? Elizabeth, I can do this. Trust me." She looked her sister straight in the eye. "You have to trust me."

"But… you're basically sacrificing yourself!" Elizabeth didn't brush away the tears that fell steadily down her cheeks. She seemed to have realized that Florence wasn't climbing down. Their father used to say that Florence was more stubborn than an unwanted vine, and as always their father was right.

Florence gave her a sad smile. "Yes, but I would be saving the children so they can have a life better than mine." She sat on the edge of the cliff.

"Don't say that! You were born for greatness! What was the quote you liked? 'Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them!'" Elizabeth laughed in a choked way. "_Sometimes_ I listen to your mindless rambles. _Please_, Flo, climb back down! We can go and tend to your garden as we did when we were younger!" She begged. A tree fell to the ground close to her and she screamed. "Florence! You listen to me right now! Did you even hear what I said?"

Florence had made it to the top of the cliff. There was a long stretch of solid rock from the forest to the other side of the cliff, like a long walkway. She looked over the other side and saw a small valley in between the mountains. The fire was also on this side of the cliff, but it wasn't as big as the fire on the opposite side. There was, however, a lot more smoke. Florence ran as well as she could back to where her sister was and peered over the edge with a heavy heart.

"Count to three hundred, and if I'm not back yet, then you need to run as fast as you can back to the village." Florence said, and walked back to the other side. She lowered herself to the other side of the cliff. There was some sort of slide, or chute, which led to the bottom of the cliff. She raised her voce to be heard over the loud fire. "Goodbye, Elizabeth. Tell my mother I loved her."

And with that, while she ignored her sister's screams and pleas, she let go of the cliff and slid down the wall. She slid over twenty feet down the side of the cliff and she found herself in the clearing. The fire was hotter in here but and it was filled with smoke from the fire that surrounded it, in this little hole. It wasn't really a hole, she decided as she darted about, searching for hellebore without getting burned. It was like a large pocket in the mountains. The clearing was a good enough size and she landed in a little hollow area that must have been a pond at one point. There was a cave across from where Flora entered the valley. She could see well off into the distance and saw that it stretched on for a while. Steep, slick walls surrounded her and a haze of smoke attacked her lungs. She leaned against the smooth wall (no chance of ever climbing that) and coughed a wrenching cough. More blood came up, as well as black soot. She felt nauseated from the sight of it.

Florence scrambled around a cloud of smoke and found what she was looking for. She found an entire patch of hellebore, right next to the cave! Luck was on her side, so it seemed. She coughed again, longer this time, and loudly gagged on the smoke inhalation. She turned her head and vomited up more blood and soot. She laughed darkly as she wiped her mouth when she imagined her mother telling her to cough like a lady. _I would think that not even a man would cough as I am now, _Florence thought. _No man would choke as I am in public, or in such a way._ Florence quickly stuffed as much hellebore as she could into her bag. She raced back to the slide she used when she entered the clearing and tried to scramble up the slippery slope. No use. She tried to climb her way up the wall next to the failed exit and found that it was completely smooth. There was no chance of escape. She was trapped. She screamed in frustration and beat her hands on the wall. She coughed again and almost choked on smoke.

Florence's heart had sunk when the realization came to her. No, it didn't just sink: she felt like she was drowning in the thought that she could never return to her family. She had known even in her delirious state that it was a huge risk to try and find the hellebore during the forest fire, and an even bigger risk to climb a cliff that God knows what was on the other side during said fire. She slowly sank to the ground and got her field journal out of her bag. She grabbed her fountain pen, the one her father gave her for her seventeenth birthday last month, and wrote the following on a fresh page:

_Dearest sister,_

_I should have known that I would get stuck. I am quite the dead man. The fire on this side of the mountain is hotter than the dickens, and it's getting harder and harder to breathe. The amount of smoke in this clearing is astounding, and it begs me to swallow it up like a tasty treat. I know that I will not last much longer. It pains me to know that I will never see our beautiful family again. _

_Elizabeth, I wanted to write to you while I still had a few seconds of sanity, though I may have lost that when I achieved this blasted fever. I wanted to tell you that I forgive you for abandoning me as my friend a few years ago. The people our age can be very convincing with their words, can't they? They spread lies about me throughout the village, horrible things like we had different fathers and that I was insane from being in the sun all day. It wasn't your fault that you believed their lies because I know that deep down you knew they were false. I know that our relationship has gotten better since I finally learned to stand up to Mother, but we are not as close as before. I hope that you can forgive _me_, since we will never have the chance to mend our broken bonds. It was my fault for leaving the village to get the herbs. It was not very well thought out, was it? I was foolish for doing so. _

_I want you to continue tending to my garden. Since it is obvious that I will either die from the whooping cough or smoke or fire, I am leaving you the secrets of the earth. I have cultivated quite the collection of discoveries about the ground. My field journal, with all of my secrets and treasures, will be in my bag. Show it to no one, and only take it out when no one is around. Keep the garden as beautiful as you, and don't let rats like that dratted Susan let you down. _

_I am sending over my bag, which contains the herbs. There is a recipe in my journal that you can follow in order to make the medicine. Make it cautiously and carefully. There are also several other medicine recipes that you may have to use in the future. Use them and also the other pages of knowledge wisely._

_I love you,_

_Flo_

Florence wrapped the paper around a rock and threw it over the cliff. She heard Elizabeth shout out in surprise and Florence felt tears sting her eyes as she threw the bag over the wall as well. Florence stood there for a few moments. She forgot about the fire crackling around her, she forgot about her aching and feverish body. She could only hear her sister sobbing, and it broke her heart.

A loud crackle of fire made her jump and she remembered where she was. Florence pulled her collar over her nose and mouth and scurried over to the cave and huddled in the dark cavern. Her green eyes were dull, her breath ragged with exhaustion, and her lungs ached with soot. The cave slowly filled smoke. It was much too hot. Florence tore away at her clothes, making her skirt as short as possible to try and stay cool.

Florence tried hard to breathe. Each rise of her chest was a struggle. She fought with all she had to try and keep her mind during this hell, but it was no use. She felt the tears of sorrow and frustration well up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She coughed again. Her body wasn't strong enough to fight for much longer.

She felt her heart beat slow down. Her breath was caught in her throat. Everything seemed to move around her slowly. She looked up to the sky, just barely visible at the end of the cave, and saw the moon hanging low over the cliffs. She held her hand out to the moon as she, Florence Lily Mayweather, took one last breath, and then… she was gone.

Flora watched as the time seemed to move on and something heavy in her hands got her attention. She looked down at her former self's body. She died? No. That can't be. She was alive now, wasn't she? She had a beating heart and lungs that worked and a mind that thought and thoughts that came from her mind.

_You were alive then, yet you are alive now, _said a voice in her head. _You are Mother Nature, Controller of the Earth and Flowers and Bringer of the Seasons. You are the Healer of Pain and the Protector of Children. You are a Guardian. _She looked up to the sky and walked to the edge of the cave. The moon was large and it hung low in the sky. It brightened suddenly and Flora spun around and saw her past self change. She watched the shortened skirt mold to the shape of Florence's body and turn a deep green. Little beads popped onto the fabric in a swirly pattern. Any blemishes from the fire (such as the minor burns and cuts and singed hair) faded from her body. Wings poked out of her back.

Suddenly Flora the feeling of her head being shoved through a tube again. She heard herself cry out in pain before she opened her eyes. There, in front of her, was a new memory, but it was one not with Florence, but with _Flora_. She watched the memory as she saw herself flutter around and tend to her garden, the happiest place on earth to Flora. What were the memories doing? She thought they only contained the memories of her past self.

_I don't care what they're doing;_ Flora decided as she watched a cherry tree blossom. _Just as long as I can see more. _

The scene changed and she watched the first meeting between her and Bunnymund. She couldn't help but laugh when she saw the vines wrap themselves around his large feet and pull him upside down. She could hear the faint words being thrown at each other:

_"Who're you?" The girl said angrily. She poked him on the chest. "Tell me or else I'll drop you." _

_Bunnymund scoffed. "Please tell me you're jokin', shelia." He rolled his eyes. The girl's eyes narrowed. She snapped her fingers and the vines dropped the bunny on his head. _

_"What the bloody hell did you do that for?" Bunnymund held his head as he stood. Stars whirled around his head as his vision regained focus. "And who're you?"_

_Her expression hardened. "I asked you first." _

The scene faded as the younger Flora said softly, "_Mother Nature cannot be tamed…"_

She had forgotten all about their first meeting. It was when she first ever realized that there were others out there, others just like her. Other immortal beings and creatures and people who had powers like her. It was the first time she realized she wasn't completely alone.

Flora eagerly waited for the next memory.

The memory switched to the first time she met Melody. The little girl was in awe of Flora's powers. There was nothing short of pure joy etched onto the little girl's face. Her sister, Lily, had an expression that matched. Flora laughed at the memory. Melody had taught her that day that she needed to have only a little bit a faith to see something different. Flora smiled as she watched the girls beg for her to visit again soon. It was the little things, Flora decided, that made the world go around. Little things like joy and happiness and… hope.

A new memory showed, this one from a few days ago. She had woken up in the infirmary during her first visit to see Bunnymund staring at her with a worried expression. He obviously had some sort of feeling for her. The scene changed and showed every time Bunnymund looked at her. She felt a warm feeling in her stomach when she realized she felt the same way for him. She wanted nothing more than to see him again, to get lost in a strong hug. She wanted to hear his gruff voice again, the voice that had a strong accent, and she wanted to hear him say that he felt the same way towards her.

Another memory showed _every time_ a child looked at her flowers with joy. Millions of faces flashed before her eyes, each with a wide smile set upon their face. Every child had a different story, a different background, and spoke in different languages, but they all looked at the flowers the same. A smile is a smile in every language. It was the universal symbol of joy.

Flora suddenly felt something within her change. Her heart was no longer frozen with hatred. If anything, it was as pure and whole as a baby's. She was herself once again. She had been reminded of what was important.

She was Flora… the Guardian of Joy.


	14. Chapter 14

Hello, everybody! I hope you're all having a terrific summer so far! Anyway, here's chapter 14 of Nightmares and Blossoms. I just finished typing the ending and I'll have that posted by next week hopefully. I had to break up the ending into a few chapters because it was so long. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

_She was Flora... Guardian of Joy._

Flora felt a yank somewhere behind her navel and she was brought out of the past. Her head spun as the colors around her swirled around. She stumbled and someone caught her before she fell over. The cylinder of teeth in her hand almost fell out of her grip but she held on tightly to it. There was nothing but silence that surrounded her in the workshop.

Flora looked up when she felt the room stop spinning and noticed several people staring open mouthed at her. She glanced down at herself and saw that her dress had faded from black to dark green. Flora smiled softly and snapped her fingers. Flowers grew all around her with a sudden explosion of sunshine dust. She laughed aloud with delight. Flora stopped her laughter abruptly when she noticed once more that several people stared at her with open mouths.

Several rather… _important_ people.

North and Tooth stood together by the door. The hummingbird fairy was on the ground, most likely unable to fly from shock. North's blue eyes were big enough to be dinner plates. Jack rolled off the window sill and floated on top of his staff. The Sandman glowed with excitement, seeing that his friend was back, and one of Tooth's mini fairies twittered with joy. Pitch Black was nowhere to be seen, but there was one more person Flora wanted to see the most.

"Yeh back, I see." said a gruff voice to her right. Flora swiveled her head around and felt her knees go weak. There, standing in front of the globe, stood the person she wanted to see. His rugged outline with its tribal markings made her fingertips tingle. "How was it? What did yeh learn?" He gave a mere glance over the shoulder at her. "I see you look like yourself again."

Flora opened her mouth to answer him as Tooth stepped forward uncertainly. "Aster, when you see the memories that are protected by the teeth, sometimes you don't want to divulge everything. If she wants to tell you then she will, but right now we have to thank Manny that she's safe and get on with the show. Pitch disappeared right before she opened her box. We have to look for him again."

Flora smiled at Tooth. "It's alright, Tooth." She kept her eyes low. "I… died. A long time ago." She said, and offered no more information. She didn't tell them how she died or that she was foolish enough to look for the herbs while delirious with a fever during a forest fire. She did, however, tell them, "I died… saving my town. I knew everything about plants and I sacrificed myself whilst using my knowledge to protect those people. Maybe that's why I became Mother Nature."

"Or maybe that's why Pitch wanted yeh." _Why won't he turn around?_ "Your heart was too pure. He wanted something spotless. He wanted you for a reason." His voice was oddly strained. _Please, look at me. What happened to me? What did I do? _

North sighed from across the room. "Bunny, why don't you at least turn around so the girl can see you?" He grinned at Flora. "It's nice to see you again, Flora."

"So, what, we're going to pretend that everything is alright now?" Bunnymund exclaimed. He turned to North. "Do you not remember how we all turned on Jack when we thought he sabotaged Easter on purpose last year? Sorry mate," he added as he glanced at the white haired boy. Jack pouted as Bunnymund Turned roughly back to North. "Flora abandoned us and joined the evilest person on the planet and all North can say is _nice to see you again_?"

Flora took a step towards Bunnymund. "Bunny, I…"

He crossed his arms. "I don't want to hear any excuses. I want to know why you did it." She opened her mouth. "And don't say it was to protect us. I don't eva want to hear that kind of bullshit commin' from yeh."

She opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off.

"An would you mind telling me why you said all those things? Did yeh mean em'?" He snarled. "Do you really think that the Guardians are 'pathetic' and that I'm a 'lovesick fool'?"

She gasped. "Did I say that?"

"You said more than that." His eyes flashed. "A lot more than that."

Her eyes hardened. "Can you at least let me talk?" She swallowed. She was suddenly nervous. Bunnymund looked taken aback and frowned, then nodded. She approached him slowly and cautiously. He watched her carefully.

"I… I was confused." She began. Bunnymund interrupted her.

"Wait, you did this because you were bloody confused?" He snarled. "What kind of lame excuse is that?" He crossed his arms.

"Aster!" Tooth cried. She glanced at Flora. "Let her speak!" She nodded at the fairy.

Flora flapped her wings and hovered above the ground. She sat cross-legged in midair. She lowered her eyes. "I don't know what I expected." She shrugged. She spoke very quietly. "He promised me millions of believers and powers that I couldn't have imagined. I was lost and confused, and he said so many things. I know that what I was doing was wrong but I don't know why I couldn't stop myself."

"So why couldn't you?" Bunnymund looked her straight in the eye.

"I just learned that… that my father…" Flora took a breath. "My father used to say that I was more stubborn than an unwanted vine. Once I had an idea I clung to it and wouldn't let it go." She glanced up at him. "I guess you could say that I was momentarily blinded by human want. And that is something I can never forgive myself for." She turned to the open window and fluttered towards it. The Guardians watched sadly as she floated out of the Globe room. Jack wiped his eyes angrily.

"So that's it then?" Jack walked toward the window. He crossed his arms. "You're leaving?" She stopped and hovered in midair. "After all we've been through, together, as a family, and you're just… leaving?" He wiped his eyes again. Angry tears threatened to spill from his eyes.

"Jack, you don't understand." Flora said in a choked voice. She placed her hand on the window and stood on the window sill, facing out into the darkness of the night.

"Enlighten me. Or am I just too pathetic to understand?" It was a harsh jab, but Flora felt like she needed it. She whirled around and flew in his face.

"I just learned that I sacrificed myself to save an entire village. I died saving the people who hated me. I _felt_ like I had died when the Nightmare entered me. Once she took control of my body I knew it was wrong. It was like darkness was continually surrounding me and eating me alive and breaking my soul apart. She had latched herself onto me, making me believe that I was just as evil and dark has her. I don't know what I said, or what I did, while I was that person. All I know is that I'm different now."

Flora took a deep breath and landed softly on the ground. She fluttered her wings and sunshine dust littered the rung underneath her. Wildflowers steadily bloomed from where the dust touched the ground. She looked up at the five most important people to her. She looked at them straight in the eye. "I know who I am. I'm not lost like how I was before. I've found people who are like me, people who know what it's like to be alone. They are called the Guardians. They are Hope, and Dreams; Wonder, Fun, and Memories, and now they have a new part: Joy." Her voice, which had been weak and unsure of herself, had turned strong. She leapt into the air.

"I am Flora, the Guardian of Joy. Someone once told me that I was alive then, yet I am alive now. I am Mother Nature, Controller of the Earth and Flowers and Bringer of the Seasons. I am the Healer of Pain and the Protector of Children. I am a _Guardian_."

Flora's bold statement made the Guardians draw a collective gasp. She knew what she had to do now. She looked at Sandy and lowered herself to the ground. "Sandy, I'm sorry for what I did. I know that the Nightmare Sand is your absolute enemy and I apologize for using it against you."

The Sandman, whose expression was neutral, suddenly broke into a smile and nodded. A picture of a happy face showed over his head. Flora laughed in delight. A golden daisy that seemed to glow with a combination of sleep sand and sunshine dust grew out of the ground near his feet. He beamed at it. Flora looked at Tooth. The hummingbird fairy wiped a tear and smiled hesitantly at her.

"Listen, Tooth—"

Tooth shook her head as a beautiful teal and purple lily grew in front of her. Small golden dots decorated the petals. Tooth looked up at Flora and drew her into a hug. "Words are not needed for me," she whispered into Flora's ear. "I always knew you'd come back."

Flora pulled away from the hug with a smile. She squeezed Tooth's hands before she stood in front of North. The big Russian man grinned down at her with a watery grin.

"North, I apologize for joining Pitch. It was a foolish thing to do and I offer you this flower as my humble apology," Flora bowed as a red chrysanthemum poked out of the rug. North exclaimed in delight and picked Flora up and twirled her around.

"Magnifique!" he cried. "How magnificent!" He set Flora down and she smiled at his sudden use of French. She shyly walked to Jack and hugged him hard.

"I am so very, very sorry, Jack. I didn't know it would have ended like how it did." Flora felt his arms wrap around her back and pull her closer. "I was tricked."

"And I'm sorry that you had to endure that. I hope you can forgive me for what I said earlier." He pulled away with a sheepish grin. He blinked and smiled in surprise at the ice blue tulip that grew behind her shoulder. He hugged her again and spun her around. "I think it's time you say something to Bunnymund," he whispered in her ear. Flora glanced at him and nodded. The Globe room, which was silent as Flora made her amends, was now so quiet she could hear the newly grown flowers breathing. She took a deep breath and turned around to look at Bunnymund.

He stood there, a little ways away from the group, leaned against a column. His belt was readily stashed with egg bombs and the usual boomerangs, his muscles were rugged and tough, and his ears twitched this way and that. His dark green eyes stared unblinkingly at hers as she walked quietly to him. The tension was so thick Flora felt like she was being smothered. She stood in front of him and was quietly reminded of the first time they met, where she had a vine tie itself around his ankles and hoist him up into the air where she then threatened him. _Times have changed_, she thought to herself as she smiled softly. There was no way she would do something so bold right now. This was too important for games.

"What's with the bloody smile, eh?" he said. It was quiet; it was the voice he used when they were alone. His quieter voice, not how he talked when the others were around. His accent was much softer (though still gruff) and his words sounded sweeter. He cocked his head. "What, cat got your tongue?"

Flora quickly wiped the smile from her face. She opened her mouth. "Bunnymund, I—I don't know what to say," she fluttered her wings and she rose a few inches in the air. "I messed everything up between us. I lost our relationship and all that we had just for a stupid promise. I wish I had never listened to Pitch." Tears welled up in her eyes. "I am so, so sorry." She turned away as an aster flower grew out of the ground. A tear fell to the ground and another aster flower grew where the tear had fallen. Flora started to fly to the window. She heard Tooth start to say something but Jack quickly shushed her.

"Let them figure this out," Flora heard him whisper to her. Flora glanced back at Bunnymund to see him still against the column. His arms were crossed and his ears still twitched, but Flora knew he was upset. The deep sadness in his eyes reflected her own sadness, and that was why she had to go. She was almost to the window when she felt a rough tug on her ankle.

"Where do yeh think you're goin', sweetheart?"

Flora turned around to see Bunnymund with his paw wrapped around her ankle. He had a twinkle in his eyes that made her stomach glow with happiness.

"Do you not want me to leave?" She said tonelessly. She tried to not get her hopes up.

Bunnymund frowned. "Why would you leave? Where would you go?" He pulled her down to his level. "What about me?" he held out his hand. In it Flora saw an aster flower. She grew still. The flower meant so much for the both of them. It was his namesake and her favorite symbol, for it was a symbol of daintiness and pure love. She looked from the flower to him and back again with wide eyes. She stared at him before she flew into him, hard, and weakly grinned up at him.

"I thought you would never forgive me," She said quietly. He chuckled and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "I was afraid that I had gone too far and that I had lost you. I thought you were angry."

"It was the accent, wasn't it?" He chuckled. "How could I stay away from you?" Bunnymund pulled her close to him. She nuzzled into his chest and breathed in his earthly scent. It reminded her of her garden. She heard Jack cough awkwardly in the distance and she opened one eye.

"Yes? Can I help you?" she said dryly, and all five Guardians laughed. Bunnymund let her go and settled for holding her hand. He led her to the others and North clapped his hands.

"Flora, would you like to take our oath so you can be proper Guardian?" North beamed at her. Tooth smiled and held onto his arm. Jack laughed and slapped Sandy on the back. Bunnymund looked down at Flora and said, "Go on, yeh shelia. You know it's your calling."

Flora stepped aside from Bunnymund and nodded. North grabbed a big and musty book from God-knows-where and flipped it to a certain page. Bunnymund left her side and stood next to Tooth. The five Guardians stood together and watched her proudly. Their silhouette gave Flora chills. Cautious elves and Yetis came out from their various hiding places to watch.

"Will you, Flora, Mother Nature, vow to watch over the children of the world? To guard them with your life, their hopes, their wishes and their dreams, for they are all that we have, all that we are, and all that we will ever be?"

Flora looked around and her gaze landed on Bunnymund's. He nodded at her and she felt a surge of bravery in her toes.

"I will," she said strongly. The five other Guardians cheered and clapped in happiness. Flora flew into the air and spun around. She laughed aloud and thought to herself, _this is the happiest moment I could ever have._ Tooth peeled herself from North and joined Flora in the air and hugged her. For a moment everything seemed at its best. Then it all came crashing down.

Jack opened his mouth with a smile to congratulate her. "That was the wrong thing to say, my sweet."

Flora frowned, confused, while the pale boy looked wildly around. It was Jack who had opened his mouth but it was not him who spoke. A sudden shadow covered the Globe and circled the room. The Guardians sprang into action and held their ground as the shadow landed in front of Flora. It swirled around as it took the shape of a tall and skinny man. Yellow eyes and a pure white smile peered out of the remnants of the shadow.

"So… you're a Guardian now."

Flora scowled and felt her fingers curl into fists. She thought he would be gone forever, but shadows can never truly die.

He walked around her in a circle. Her wings popped out and started to flutter. She felt a strange warmth in the base of her wings. "Tell me… why did you give up what we had for this?" Pitch Black meandered to a spot in front of her. He paid no attention to the Guardians behind him.

"I didn't give up anything. The only thing I gave up was my life with the Guardians and we can see how well that ended, can't we?" Flora scowled and clenched her fists tighter. The warmth traveled through her veins and she felt it pulsating under her skin.

Pitch glanced down at her. "Well, if you drop that silly attitude, then you can come back with me and we can take over the world together." He said smugly. He crossed his arms and mimed checking a watch. "I'm waiting!"

Flora stamped her foot. "I'm not going anywhere with you, Pitch. I'm staying right here." Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "And that's final."

"Oh?" Pitch looked at her. "Is that so? Is that your final say?" Shadow whips started to flow from his shadow and wrapped themselves around the Guardians. With assorted shouts and threats the Guardians became immobile. The shadows bonded them together and they couldn't move. "What about now? Now I've got your precious friends tied up. They can't help you. I can't help you. The only person who can help you is yourself. Will you join me or not?"

Flora looked wildly from the Guardians to Pitch. The shadows seemed to be slowly suffocating them. Jack was turning blue and North no longer had rosy cheeks. Tooth was breathing in short and quick breaths. Flora's heart broke when she saw Bunnymund trying his best to revive Sandy. She started to breathe in short gasps. Her friends were dying. She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and almost choked. The warmth had traveled to her lungs. What was happening to her?

"Flora, I asked you a question." Pitch snapped his fingers and the shadows tightened themselves around the Guardians. "Are you joining me or not?!"

Flora felt her heartbeat quicken as her wings fluttered together and lifted her off the ground. Pitch smiled at her smugly. He thought she was joining him, and from the looks of the Guardians' faces they did too. Pitch reached his hand out to her and she grabbed it. The warmth in her hands had turned so hot that her skin was blistering. Pitch screamed and tried to let go of her hand but she held on tightly.

"I will not be going with you, Pitch!" Flora said as sunshine dust sparkled and surged through her veins. Her powers were doing something she never knew she could do. She floated into the air. The window flung open and a chilly air swarmed into the room. Icicles flew in from the outside and shot themselves at Pitch. When each icicle hit Pitch a bright light appeared on his body. He screamed again and tried to swat the icicles away. They melted quickly and collected in a small puddle next to him. Flora waved her hand and the water formed a sphere. The orb of water flew to Flora and she touched it. It grew larger as it gathered the water droplets from the air and she flung at Pitch with a flick of her wrist.

"Are you ready for this fight, Pitch? It seems as though you're too dirty with darkness." Flora said as she snapped her fingers. The window clanged shut. Suddenly green vines slithered from the ground and slid up Pitch's legs. They quickly bound the Nightmare King to the point where he couldn't move. She flew to his face and snarled, "Do you think that I want to join you? Why would I when I have such lovely people as my friends? These people know exactly just how you work and now I do too. So, with that being said, I think that it's time for you to leave." She snapped her fingers and the vines fell to the ground in a heap. Pitch stood there speechless for a moment before he suddenly smirked.

"You found that you can control the elements, have you? Air, water, earth… Well, goodie for you. However, I find that you have forgotten one little detail… and that, my dear, is the element of _fire_." Pitch grinned horribly as he held his palm out in front of him and a bright ball of fire formed. Its unnatural sheen made Flora think it was actually Nightmare Sand, but that didn't stop her from flying away from it in fear. She watched as the fire in his hand grew until it engulfed him in flames.

"Fire kills, my dear, and you will die!" Pitch cried as he faded from sight. "Your garden will no longer live and neither will you!" The shadows that bound the Guardians slipped from their tight grasp. Bunnymund wasted no time in bounding over to Flora. He grabbed her hand and pulled her down from the ceiling. Her wings flopped over and she stumbled onto him. She coughed harshly and when she wiped her mouth there was soot on her hand.

"Flora? What's going on?" Tooth hurriedly flew to her other side. Flora gasped for breath. Bunnymund noticed that she was unnaturally pale.

"He—he figured it out." Flora panicked. "The garden—it's the source of my energy, my life support… he's gone to destroy it, I know he has." She coughed again. "There's an apple tree near the cave. That's the first tree I ever grew. It's what keeps me alive."

"But… you're immortal!" Jack said. He glared at her. "Why would something as stupid as an _apple tree_ keep you alive? You just promised that you wouldn't go anywhere!"

"What Pitch can't have, he destroys," North said softly. He stared at Flora. "Is he really? Is Pitch in your garden?"

Flora closed her eyes and concentrated. She felt a disturbance within her. In her mind's eye she saw a dark shadow cross over her expansive garden. As soon as it touched a leaf or petal the plant would burst into flames. Flora cried out and opened her eyes. "He's there! He's there and he's going to destroy everything!"

"What can we do to stop it? There must be something!" North looked at her expectantly. Her eyelids fluttered and she stumbled against Bunnymund again. He knelt to the ground and cradled her in his arms.

"I don't think there's anything we can do, mate." Bunnymund looked down at Flora. "She's about at the end of her rope." As he said this Flora grew even paler and scarily white. How could this have happened so suddenly? Just minutes ago they were celebrating, but now…. She began to grow hot in his arms. He suspected it was because the connection of the garden; it was burning, and so was she. She was literally dying from the fire inside of her.

"No." Jack said. "No! We can do something. We can fix this. Let's go to her garden and at least _try!_ Come on, Bunnymund. Are we really going to let Pitch get away with this? Are we really going to accept this as what's supposed to happen? Are you really going to let the girl you love… _die_?"

Bunnymund vaguely heard the other Guardians gasp in surprise. He paid no attention to them as he stared down at the beautiful girl in his arms. His heart broke as he watched her struggle to breathe. Her cheeks, though no longer rosy, still had the smallest amount of color in them. Bunnymund watched as she slowly opened her eyes. She looked so sad, so defeated, like she already accepted her fate. He gently leaned down and kissed her forehead and she smiled the smallest of all smiles. That was enough to strengthen him. Her eyes closed as he looked up at Jack.

"She's not going to die. We're not letting her." He paused and gazed at her. "_I'm_ not letting her. We need to get to her garden and get rid of that bastard once and for all. I think he's been our nightmare for long enough."

"But what if we can't defeat him?" Tooth whispered. She stared at Flora. "What if we're not strong enough?"

"This has nothing to do with strength. This has everything to do with the power of family." Bunnymund looked down at Flora. "And love," he added softly.

Jack grinned. "I'm in."

Sandy nodded enthusiastically as North jumped up and cried, "This is going to be EPIC!"

Bunnymund nodded and said gruffly, "You bet your presents it's gonna be epic. Now, let's get going before we run out of time."

The other Guardians cheered and ran to the door, presumably to the sleigh. Bunnymund stood and held Flora close to his chest. He whistled once and the other jumped.

"Oh, no, no, no. My girl, my rules. We'll take the tunnels." He hopped back a step and smirked at the Guardians' fearful faces. He raised an eyebrow at North. "Buckle up."

He tapped his foot on the ground twice and Tooth grabbed onto North as the others shouted and slipped down into the hole. He looked down at Flora. "Think you can make the tunnels?" Flora nodded. Her eyes were still closed. He sighed and hopped into the hole as well, trying to ignore what may come.


	15. Chapter 15

Hi, guys! This is the second to last chapter of Nightmares and Blossoms (the one that I cried while writing, tbh). I'll post the last chapter on Friday and I'm planning for it to include a sneak peak of the sequel I'm writing, which I've tentatively named "Tethered". It will include Flora and the other Guardians, plus a new OC I've dreamed up. You'll learn more about her later.

Alright, enough of my rambling. Enjoy this chapter and leave a review! I will love you if you do(:

* * *

Flora slowly blinked her eyes. She had the most peculiar dream where she had met the Guardians and became one of them. They felt like family. And the Australian one, the Easter Bunny, had told her he loved her. In the dream she also met two girls who believed in her. Oh, and she dreamt that Pitch Black was back and destroying her garden with an enchanted fire. She smiled to herself. She had quite the imagination, dreaming up all of that. Ah, well. No sense in dwelling in her mind. She had to grow a forest in the countryside of Germany. There was no reason to believe that all of that could ever happen in real life because she was just Mother Nature, nothing important.

Flora hated how in her dream there was a fire in her garden. Fire was her greatest fear, right before her fear of never being believed in. It was a shame how her dream was only a dream because she would have liked being in love with Bunnymund. He was so handsome and... Wait a second… She stopped her mind's chatter and sniffed the air. A sharp, pungent odor pierced her nose. She opened her eyes and nearly screamed aloud.

This was it. This was for real.

She was in the arms of Bunnymund, who stood at the top of the cliff that looked over her garden. A quick glance around the garden told her that everything she dreamed was in fact not a dream, but reality. Isn't it a shame how sometimes our most terrible nightmares are often our reality? In a way Flora was glad that her dream was real; it meant that she was no longer alone. But it also meant that she had indeed betrayed her friends to the worst.

But this… this was terrifying. This was scary. This was frightening.

This was real.

Her nightmare had come true. This wasn't a dream.

A gentle swooshing noise got Flora's attention. Far above the garden floated a swirling black sphere of Nightmare Sand. From it, black sand poured from it and spread like a mist of death. As soon as the sand touched the forest… black flames erupted from the fallen sand and began to eat the trees.

Just like her old nightmares, the ones of swirling darkness and choking loneliness.

Flora struggled to breathe. She gasped on thin oxygen and suffocating fear. She fought her way out of Bunnymund's arms and stood on the walls around her garden. The other Guardians stood in a line not far from her. They stood solemnly, all in a row, as they waited for an order.

"No." Flora fell to the ground. "No! How can he do this?" She cried as she watched the trees burn. She looked over the forest in despair.

Bunnymund crouched next to her. "Listen, Flora, I…"

"Don't you dare tell me there's nothing we can do!" Flora snapped. She stood. "There has to be something."

Flora felt a cold hand on her shoulder. "Flora, your garden…" Jack said sadly. "When we got here it was like this, like he was waiting for us."

Flora gazed at her home. "I know what he was doing."

"What can we do? What should we do?" North swung his swords around in frustration. "Flora?"

Flora stared out over the many miles of her garden. She looked as though she was lost. "I don't know."

"What a happy surprise!" a voice said out of nowhere. The Guardians looked around wildly, trying to find the source of the voice, but with no luck. In one swift motion the five Guardians moved to shield Flora. "The guest of honor has finally arrived. Welcome, my dear, to your end."

Flora shoved the Guardians out of her way. "That was unbelievably cheesy, Pitch. Now, where are you? Come out and fight us!"

"Oh, but I don't want a fight." A smooth British voice said in her ear. "I want a companion. A lifelong partner who will join me with my plans."

"No one wants to be your companion." Flora said angrily. "In fact, I can't even believe why I thought I wanted to be with you in the first place. You're a terrible person with no sense of self control!"

Bunnymund looked at her. "Who're you talking too, mate?" he said, but she didn't hear him.

She looked straight at him. "Face it. You're a no-good person. People should learn to stay away from you."

Bunnymund looked hurt. North stared in shock at her while Tooth gasped. Flora turned to Jack.

"Nobody believes in you. Why can't you just go back to where you came from? That would make everyone much happier." Flora said. She glared at him. Jack frowned. Even Flora knew the subject was touchy for him. Why would she say something like that?

Pitch grinned. His plan was working. He was invisible to everyone else but her. He stood next to North. "But Flora, can't you see the wonder in this situation? Once you've joined me we can have total control over the world!"

Flora turned to face North as well. "There is no wonder in this situation! Can't you see that I'm never going to join you and your pathetic friends?" She growled. She wondered why the Guardians were just looking at her. Couldn't they see the monster with them? Couldn't they hear the horrible things he was saying? She clutched at her side. She was getting weaker.

Pitch pouted. "Oh, that hurt. But what about your dreams? Can you see us living together in perfect harmony, causing terror and wreaking havoc?" He moved next to the Sandman.

Flora followed him. "I have no dreams of us! There will never be a perfect harmony when you use terror to win over your believers!"

Sandy frowned. What was she saying, what did she mean? He suddenly realized that she wasn't looking at him. He followed her eyes and noticed that she was staring at a spot right next to him. What was going on?

Pitch grinned. His plan was working. The Guardians didn't suspect a thing. They were all looking hurt and sad because of what Flora was saying to them… or rather, what it _looked_ like she was saying to them. He stood behind Tooth. "What about the fun memories we had together?"

"We had no fun memories together!" Flora shouted at him. Tooth looked like she wanted to cry. Why was she so emotional right now? Couldn't she see the man behind her? "And you need to get out of my garden right now!"

Tooth glared at her. "We came here to help you! Why do you keep pushing us away?"

Flora frowned. She looked at her friend. "What do you mean? I'm not pushing you away. If anything I'm trying to push Pitch away."

North furrowed his eyebrows together. "What do you mean, push Pitch away? He is not here, no?"

"You mean you can't see him? He was right behind Tooth—" Flora turned to look at the tooth fairy but there was no man behind her anymore. "He's gone." She glanced around. "You mean none of you could see him or hear him?"

Jack shook his head. "It looked like you were talking to us. We only heard him greet us." He looked around. "Are you sure he was here? Why couldn't we see him?"

Flora grunted and held her side again. She felt like her organs were failing. She was dying; there was no doubt about it. "I have no idea. All I know is that I have to stop him."

Tooth put her hand on Flora's shoulder. "You don't have to do that. We can help you."

Flora shook her head. "I have to do it." She was the one who had to bring Pitch down once and for all.

Bunnymund spoke up, "But not alone yeh don't."

Flora glanced at him. She had momentarily forgotten he was there. She looked at him full on and he stared straight back. She was unsure of what to do next. Could she trust everyone to not leave? Could she really believe that she was not alone?

_Yes,_ said a voice in her head. _Yes you can. It's obvious that they love you, especially Bunnymund._

No he doesn't, Flora thought. He'll never love me. As for the other Guardians, well, they were great, but Bunnymund… there was no doubt that she loved him.

_You only need to open your eyes, _the voice said. Flora swallowed her feelings and looked around at the Guardians surrounding her. She smiled softly and said quietly, "I'm sorry, but… this is a job for me. I'm the only one who can defeat Pitch."

"Says who?" Jack said angrily. He gestured over the garden. Black flames rose from the forest and Flora winced at the sight of it. "Does this look like a job for one person? No." He caught a gust of wind and flew over the flames. He aimed his staff at the flames but nothing happened. He frowned and tried again. He cursed loudly and tried once more before he flew angrily back to the Guardians.

"There isn't enough water vapor in the air to make ice," he grunted. He glared at the fire. "This isn't any normal fire."

"You're right, Jack. It is indeed an abnormal fire." A voice said. All six Guardians jumped and held their ground. "Oh, look. It's the big five— I'm a little star struck. And who is this? A little fairy? How do you do, _fairy_? It's so nice to see you… _Flora_." Pitch Black came out of the shadows and stood menacingly a few feet away from the Guardians. His tone was mocking as he grinned. "Did your friends here figure out that you were talking to me and not them? I always take their stupidity for granted, but they have their shining moments."

Sandy bristled at being called stupid.

Pitch continued to talk. "Now, I have so cleverly devised a plan that brought you all here. Little Flora has a tree that is hidden in plain view that keeps her alive. It's an apple tree, as she has surely told you, planted at the base of the mountain near her cave. I am here to ruthlessly find it and kill it… unless Flora gives herself to me to be mine. The tree shares a special connection to her that cannot be broken, lest someone wants to mourn over a deceased Mother Nature. But of course I'll burn the entire forest as well.

"Flora, I'm talking to you now. If you want to live, if you want to spare your friends the pain and suffering of trying to defeat my many Nightmares—" Pitch waved his arm carelessly behind him, and as if on cue, dozens upon dozens of Nightmares stalked out of the enchanted black fire and whinnied brutally. "Then I would suggest coming with me."

Flora stood her ground and ignored the strong wave of pain that rolled through her body. She glared at Pitch. "I will never go with you, Pitch, no matter how many times you ask me."

Pitch smiled softly. "I should have known you would say that." He turned to the Nightmares and nodded his head. The skeletal horses gave a collective blood thirsty neigh and began to charge the Guardians. "Try to win, you pathetic fools."

It was then that Flora realized that this was for real. This was a battle for her, against Pitch. Everything fell away as she focused on one thing.

Pitch Black.

The other Guardians sprang forward to defend themselves from the impeding danger of wildly thrashing hooves and gnashing teeth while Flora rose into the air. She was filled with an unexplainable rage as her wings beat violently against the air to propel herself towards her target. The sounds from below—shouts and cries of pain—became white noise to Flora as she grew level with her enemy. The warm feeling of sunshine dust traveling through her veins started up again. Her skin began to glow slightly. Her eyes flashed.

Pitch offered her a calm smile. "Dear Flora, how tired you must be. Come, you can rest after you make up your mind. This will all be over soon."

Flora scowled. "This will _never_ be over, unless you decide to fall off the face of the Earth. Your very presence disrupts nature's ways." The black flames continued to eat the forest. Her wings sputtered before they went back to fluttering. She was still getting weaker.

"Oh?" Pitch raised an eyebrow. "_Never_, you say? Well, then that makes me delighted! That means we will forever see each other!"

Flora screamed and shot a ball of light at him. He dodged it, but just barely. He hissed as it tore through his cloak. The shadowy fabric of the cloak burned and shriveled up. "You had no right to come out of nowhere and claim me as yours! What you're doing—trying to take over the world—is not the right thing to do!"

Pitch lashed a Nightmare Sand whip at her. It missed her wrist by an inch. "Have you ever thought that this isn't about you? Sure, I need you to carry out my plans, but once that's over you're done for." He grinned. "And then I'll dispose of you."

Flora aimed another ball of light at him. She missed in her blind rage. "I am not an object! I cannot be thrown away once you're tired of me!"

Pitch tossed the whip at her again and it caught around her ankle. She kicked it off. "Flora, haven't you heard?" His ghostly lips turned up. "It's time for fear to rule the world."

Flora aimed another ball of light at Pitch and this one made its mark. The sphere of brightness hit Pitch in the chest and exploded. Sparks flew around him and created a ball of smoke. Flora laughed, thinking she had won, but a black whip flew out of the cloud of smoke and caught her wrist. Pitch came out of the cloud chuckling darkly. Another whip came and caught her other wrist. Flora widened her eyes in panic. She glanced down below her to see if someone could help her.

Far below her, the battle of Nightmares verses Guardians continued. The Guardians were winning, though, but not by much. The Nightmares outnumbered them but they knew how to defeat the skeletal horses. Unfortunately it seemed as though once they finished off one horse another one came out of the black flames.

Flora snapped her gaze back to Pitch. "You'll never win." She struggled to get out of the shadowy bondages. The rope made of Nightmare sand cut into her skin. She cried out when blood appeared- not the thick, red blood that she had expected, but her blood seemed to be (who would have thought) sunshine dust. Liquid sunshine dust, just as her tears. The bright matter mixed with the black and burned her skin. She suddenly realized that this was the first time she had ever been hurt. She was a Healer, after all- there was something within her that just never allowed her to get injuries. She swallowed hard. She was losing her powers.

"Oh, Flora." Pitch smiled sadly. "I think I already have."

Flora's wings stopped for half a second and she fell a few feet. She took a deep gulp of air and pushed herself to rise to his height again. The smoke was extremely high now. The Nightmare ropes cut into her skin even more. She closed her eyes and felt the sunshine dust under her skin grow hot.

"No," she said. She clenched her jaw. "You haven't." She opened her eyes and looked up at him. Her eyes had rolled into the back of her head. Pitch jumped back.

"This isn't just a battle, Pitch. This isn't just a war. This is the fate of Mother Nature. I've accepted my fate, have you accepted yours?"

Far below the battling pair, the five Guardians fought their hardest against the Nightmares. As Jack froze the last one, the five of them simultaneously looked up at Flora and Pitch. They saw Flora start to glow.

"She's glowing- why is she glowing?!" Jack said worriedly. "Her skin is like the color of—"

"The sun!" Tooth finished. She glanced around. "It's sunshine dust! It has to be, right?" she asked no one in particular. North stared hard at the scene above them.

"What is she saying?" he asked in his thick Russian accent. The five glanced up once again as Flora shouted, "Get this rope off of me!"

"He's tied her up!" Jack shouted. He jumped into the air and pointed at her. "We have to help her!"

"Naw, mate," said Bunnymund. "This is a fight for her to win." The way his shoulders slumped over slightly told the others the words he just said pained him to say. It killed him to see his girl up in the sky, fighting furiously against the foulest creature on the planet.

Jack gasped. "What?! So we're just going to stand here and let her get killed?"

North sighed. "Bunny is right. This is Flora's battle. But she is strong and she is tough. She will win." He smiled softly. "I can feel it," he grabbed his stomach. "In my belly."

_She better win_, Bunnymund thought. _Because if she didn't_…. he didn't want to think of that. He just wanted to see the girl he loved safe and alive.

Flora gasped in pain and tried once again to wrench the Nightmare sand off of her wrists. No luck. "Get this rope off of me!"

Pitch smiled. A Nightmare appeared at his side out of nowhere and whinnied. His face brightened. "Flora, you'll never guess what my dear old friend just told me!"

"That you're evil and a bastard?" Flora mumbled. Pitch frowned before he continued.

"No, but thank you. What she told me was that we have found your life source." He clapped his hands together. "And now we're going to kill you. Isn't that exciting?"

Flora felt the remaining powers drain out of her. She could barely keep herself in the air. She had never felt so weak, so defenseless… and now she was drained of all her powers. She glanced up at the sky above her. The moon hung low and protective in the sky. Flora felt a small surge of energy return. Maybe the Man in the Moon was going to protect her; maybe he didn't want to see her die. She hoped so. Her chances of survival looked slim.

Pitch continued. "And you'll never get to see those rotten Guardians again!"

Flora snapped her eyes to him. She felt the power trickle in as she raised her head. "Says who?" she taunted.

Pitch glared. "Says me." He gestured towards the fire. "And besides, what more do you have to live for? You have nothing left. No home, very little power, and soon, no life. See? Nothing."

Flora glared at him as well. "You forgot one thing, Pitch." She concentrated on pulling her powers together.

"And what was that? I'm sure I have everything." Pitch said offhandedly. "I win and you lose."

Flora raised her arms and cried, "I have my family!"

All at once her skin began to glow brighter. Little beams of light shot off of her body and into the distance. Her eyes flashed and turned a golden color. Her wings froze in place but she remained stationary in the air. She looked as though she was possessed by something of diviner powers. A bright cloud of sunshine dust radiated off of her and surrounded her. It tried to engulf Pitch but he zoomed away from her as he screamed, "This isn't over, Flora!"

Far below her, the five Guardians gazed at her in awe. They watched as the gold cloud of dust detached itself from her and floated over the forest. It descended and put some of the enchanted black flames out. Different plants grew uncontrollably in the garden as Flora screamed in pain. There was a sudden movement in the ground below them; an earthquake. Storm clouds appeared out of nowhere and cackled with electricity and thunder.

A small sound in the garden caught their attention. All six Guardians turned their heads to the burnt flowers. What they saw chilled them to their bones.

There was a dark haze of smoke drifting over the forest. Sparks flew off the mountain that surrounded the small valley. Black flames licked at the trees and flowers. A dark, chilling laughter could be heard echoing through the garden. Black sand fell from the finger tips of Pitch Black; it turned into black fire the moment it touched the ground. A single Nightmare whinnied at his side, laughing as well at the expense of the garden dying. Pitch poured sand over the apple tree, the first tree ever planted by Flora. The tree burst into the enchanted flames. Flora felt something stab her in the heart; the tree was the thing that kept her immortal, but with an enchanted fire… it was bound to kill the tree and her.

Flora looked down, horrified, at her dark green dress and watched as black, sparkling sand poured out of her heart. She cried out and hopelessly tried to fly away. Everything drifted away slowly… she knew this would happen… laughter rang in her ears… someone was crying, was it her?… yellow eyes stared out to her from a sea of black sand surrounding her… with a single, shuddering breath, she closed her eyes and felt everything slip away…

_The darkness was like a continual swirl of nothing. _

_She felt suffocated. She tried to breathe. Each breath was harder and more ragged than the last. _

_It was evident she couldn't continue for much longer. She was alone. _

_Her head spun. Her vision grew dim. She tried to grab onto something, anything, but there was nothing. _

_ Finally she let go. Her battle was lost. Nothing had won, yet everything was gone. A dark laughter echoed throughout the stretch of darkness. That was the last thing she heard._

_ She was alone. She would _forever _be alone._

_But wait… what was that sound? It was the sound of laughter, of fun. Of hope and dreams and wonder. _

_Of joy. _

_It was the sound of who she was on the inside. On the outside. _

_She wasn't alone. _

_She had peace at last. Peace of knowing she was accepted and loved. _

_This battle had just begun. She was going to win it, no matter what. _

Back in the garden, the Guardians watched in horror as Flora's Tree of Life caught on fire. They glanced worriedly from Flora to the tree. Flora's head had flopped to one side; her hair swirled around her by the wind. Her mouth moved wordlessly as she grew even brighter.

"She's on the edge!" Jack shouted. "She's gonna blow!"

But Flora didn't blow. With one last flash of brightness the girl was lowered to the ground by an unseen force. A beam of light from the moon gently placed her on the ground in front of them. The Guardians let out a collective gasp. There was a horrifying black stain on the front of her green dress that started at her heart. Her wings were gone, her back was bare; she no longer had the glow from the coat of sunshine dust that was always on her body. She was pale and lifeless, and for a moment the Guardians thought she was gone.

_But she wasn't gone._ She coughed and opened her eyes. Flora glanced around at the Guardians and offered a small smile of reassurance. Tooth let out a cry and fell to the ground. She scrambled towards Flora and hugged her tightly. Tooth's sobs shook Flora's body.

"You're okay!" Tooth said. Her grip tightened on Flora. "We thought— we thought—" she sobbed. Flora placed a small hand on her arm and said quietly, "I know."

North held out a hand. "How do you feel, little fairy?" He smiled. Flora waved his hand away. She couldn't stand. She didn't have the strength for it. Her face screwed up in pain and Tooth moved away quickly. Flora writhed for a moment before a reassuring hand moved the hair out of her eyes.

"I've got you," Jack grabbed her and held onto her waist. "You're not going to hurt anymore." She felt an odd cool sensation on her side. "It's just a light coat of frost," Jack shrugged. "To help with the burn." Sandy nodded. Flora opened her eyes weakly and smiled gratefully at him. She glanced around at the group.

"Pitch—is he…" Flora said softly. Her voice was barely a whisper. She was painfully weak; it physically pained the Guardians to see her this way.

"Dead?" Bunnymund finished. Flora swiveled her head to him when she heard his voice. She reached a hand out to him. "No." He crouched to the ground and Jack moved out of his way. There was a hush as Flora and Bunnymund embraced. He held her as tightly as he dared with her injuries. He kissed her forehead and pulled her into his arms. She touched his face lightly with her thin fingers. She looked up at him innocently and he felt his heart squeeze with happiness.

"My wings," she said suddenly. Her eyes widened. "Where are my wings?" She tried to twist her body around so she could feel her back but Bunnymund grabbed her hands to stop her from hurting herself. "What happened to me?"

North knelt down beside her. He took her small hand in his giant ones and spoke to her softly. "You gave your all to protect the garden, but Pitch, he…" North shook his head, unable to go on. Great tears leaked out of his eyes and tumbled down his cheeks. North was the strongest person Flora knew. If he was crying, something awful must have happened.

North waved on for someone else to speak. Jack stepped forward solemnly.

"Pitch set the tree on fire, the one that kept you alive." He said. His blue eyes filled with tears as well. "You tried your best to fight him off but this time… this time you didn't win."

Flora broke into a noticeable sweat. Her body was trying its best to survive without the tree but it was no use. Bunnymund looked on, wishing there was something he could do, but he knew there was nothing. It was all over. What happened to the strong girl he knew?

"Flora…" Bunnymund said to her. "Flora, please don't leave." The fairy in his arms gasped for breath. She was dying. It was obvious. So many flowers, so many plants, dead… there was nothing he could do to soothe her. Forest fires were natural disasters, but her garden was sacred, powerful. It was the thing that kept her alive. With Pitch burning it, it was basically killed her.

"I can't, Bunny." She whispered. She was pale, frighteningly pale. She grasped the fur on his chest in her thin fingers as her face clenched with pain. She was just _so_ beautiful to him. "It hurts too much." She burrowed into his chest.

"Flora, honey," Tooth gently touched her shoulder. The fairy hissed at the touch; her skin was burning with the intensity of a thousand suns. The fire consumed her soul as it consumed her garden. "It's alright. You can go. We'll be fine."

Bunnymund looked down at the girl in his arms. _Please, just let this be a nightmare, just a dream. _Her eyes were closed and her breathing became more forced. His heart broke as he stared down at her face. This wasn't a dream. He traced her jaw with a shaking paw. Tears rolled off her face and onto his fur. She was in so much pain, but there was nothing he could do about it. _I'll love you until I can love you no more._

"Bunny…" She whispered. She pulled him down to her softly. His ear twitched and she opened her mouth to speak. "Bunny, I… I love…" She took one last rattling breath. "You." It was less than a whisper. Her body fell limp in his arms. Tooth gasped and hid her face in North's arm. The usually jolly man patted her feathered arm mournfully as a look of deep sorrow filled his face. Sandy approached the girl and sprinkled sleeping dust over her body and kissed her forehead softly. Jack didn't wipe away the tears that slipped down his cheeks. Bunnymund could only gaze down at the girl he loved as tears filled his eyes.

She was gone.


	16. Chapter 16

Hello, everyone! I'm sad to say that this is the last chapter of Nightmares and Blossoms, but don't be upset. I'm writing a sequel- which I'm calling Tethered. It's still in the very rough stages (I have so many ideas and possibilities that sometimes I confuse myself!) and it may be several weeks before I upload it. In Tethered, the usual crew will be there- the six Guardians (North, Tooth, Bunnymund, Sandy, Jack, and Flora) and Pitch may be in there (I haven't decided yet), but I'm also including three new characters. Exciting, right? Haha I know I am. Anyway, I'm including that sneak peek for Tethered at the end of this chapter.

Please enjoy the last installment of Nightmares and Blossoms, a Rise of the Guardians fanfic. It's been a pleasure to write this and you can trust me when I say that I'll miss it so much.

Thank you for sticking with this story until the end.

* * *

_Bunnymund looked down at the girl in his arms. Please, just let this be a nightmare, just a dream. Her eyes were closed and her breathing became more forced. His heart broke as he stared down at her face. This wasn't a dream. He traced her jaw with a shaking paw. Tears rolled off her face and onto his fur. She was in so much pain, but there was nothing he could do about it. I'll love you until I can love you no more._

_ "Bunny…" She whispered. She pulled him down to her softly. His ear twitched and she opened her mouth to speak. "Bunny, I… I love…" She took one last rattling breath. "You." It was less than a whisper. Her body fell limp in his arms. Tooth gasped and hid her face in North's arm. The usually jolly man patted her feathered arm mournfully as a look of deep sorrow filled his face. Sandy approached the girl and sprinkled sleeping dust over her body and kissed her forehead softly. Jack didn't wipe away the tears that slipped down his cheeks. Bunnymund could only gaze down at the girl he loved as tears filled his eyes._

_ She was gone. _

Nothing could ever describe the way Bunnymund felt after Flora died. Sure, there were words that recall the name of the feelings, but nothing could accurately _describe_ how he felt. You could say he was sad, but that didn't fully explain how his heart felt wrenched from his body. You could say he was depressed, but that couldn't tell how deep, emotional pain clouded his vision every day. How he felt as though he would burst from the horrible sorrow of it all.

He loved her. Oh, God, yes, he loved her. There was no doubt about that. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He wanted to learn how to grow a garden; he wanted to teach her how to paint Easter eggs. He wanted to show her his special carrot cake recipe that no one else knows. He wanted her to love him back just as much as he loved her. It killed him how he wasn't able to let her know that he loved her before she died. He could only hold onto the small comfort that she loved him in return.

Easter that year was no doubt the worst job that Bunnymund had ever done. He could barely move from grief. The Guardians ended up having to help him deliver the eggs. Jack made sure to cause a blizzard in nearly every town just so they didn't have to hide that many eggs. It was a kind gesture that Bunnymund appreciated, but he had planned on showing Flora how he did his job. It was just another thing they could never share together.

When Bunnymund had to round up the eggs in order to deliver them, he found the egg she had been painting. It was by surprise that he found it, hidden under one of the giant stone eggs. He had been checking to make sure no eggs were left behind when he picked it up and nearly dropped it, realizing what it was. There it was, all in its messed up glory: the Warren with a random streak of green in the sky. It was the gift for Melody.

He decided that the little girl had to receive it. He gazed at the egg before he shook his head. Trying to wish for Flora to come back was no use. She was gone, as he had to painfully remind himself every day.

Bunnymund sighed and tapped his foot on the ground. He halfheartedly hopped through the tunnels and popped out of a hole in the British countryside. He knew it was where Melody and Lily lived because of the two flowers by the ear tree: a yellow daisy and a purple snapdragon. There was still a rosebush in the middle of the yard. He was pleased to see neither plant had wilted. Both girls still had a strong belief in Flora.

He approached the deck. "Hello?" he called. "Melody? Are yeh home?"

There was a patter of footsteps that ran quickly to the porch door. "Flora?"

Bunnymund tried his best to stifle the inner pain caused from the sound of her name. He offered a smile to the little girl. "No, it's just me. Do you remember me?"

Melody grinned. "Bunnymund!"

He couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. "Yes, that's me!" He crouched down next to her. "I have a present for you."

She said solemnly, "I couldn't find that many Easter eggs yesterday. It was too cold and the snow was too thick. My mum only let me outside for ten minutes."

Bunnymund chuckled inwardly. Jack had done his job correctly. "Well, this present will make it up to you. I found this yesterday, and someone special made it just for you." He handed her the egg.

"Wow! Did you make this?" She grinned and held the egg close to her. "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." She said seriously. She looked around. "Where's Flora? She promised to visit us."

"Actually, Flora made it." Bunnymund could barely say her name.

"Wow, it's so beautiful!" Melody said and looked up at Bunnymund with wide eyes. "Where is she? Is she okay?"

"Flora's, um, indisposed right now, but she's sorry she couldn't be here." He couldn't bloody tell her that she was dead, could he? "Besides, she's very busy right now. Spring is coming and she has to prepare for it."

"She hasn't hurt herself, has she?" Melody asked; her bottom lip trembled. It took all of Bunnymund's self-control to shake his head no. He then had to quickly excuse himself and went back to his Warren, where his could sob quietly over his broken heart.

* * *

The other Guardians were just as sad. They mourned the death of their beloved Mother Nature respectively, but soon they began to wonder about the flowers. What will happen to the flowers? Who will take care of the earth? Will there be a new caretaker of nature?

One day, in late autumn, Bunnymund went to her garden. It was about five months after she died. Five months of pure emotional hell, he liked to call it. He had no reason to go to the garden. He didn't even want to; he just felt something telling him that he needed to visit where the girl he loved used to live. He raced through the tunnels of his underground labyrinth towards her garden. He got there as the sun started to set; her favorite time of day.

He lifted himself out of the ground and found himself next to the pond. The waterfall still trickled down the mountain as though it had no idea the person who controlled the plants was gone. Bunnymund looked around at the garden. Some of the trees were still charred. Many of the flowers were just blackened marks in the dirt. The devastation of the fire still haunted him at night. Many times Bunnymund had to call on Sandy to help him have a dream that wasn't about _her_ or plants or fires.

He knelt down to the ground. Secondary plants were starting to grow back, he noticed. Tiny shoots of grass were everywhere. The small green specks poked up dutifully through the soot. Bunnymund smiled sadly at the state of the garden. He wanted to see it alive again, just as how he wanted to see her alive as well.

He stood and walked to the pond. He gazed at the waterfall and ran a hand through his fur. He felt like he should say something, but what?

"Flora…" He whispered. It was the first time he had spoken her name aloud in months. He cleared his throat and continued speaking. "Flora… I just wanted to say that… I love you." He paused for a moment. It was hard for him to go on. He felt foolish for talking out loud, but there was something in him that felt like she was listening.

"Flora, I miss yeh. I miss yeh more than anything. I want you back. I want you to come live with me at the Warren." He sighed and choked back a tear. "Oh, God, Flora, I love you so much it physically hurts. Every time I think of you my chest hurts and my brain slows down and my palms get sweaty and I feel my heart race. I just don't understand why you had to go. I always thought you'd be at my side and I'd be at yours." He knelt down and wept bitterly. He was drowning in sorrow.

_Bunny._

Her voice. It was carried on the wind. Bunnymund's ear poked up and swiveled around. _Was _that her voice? It sounded like it. Was he hearing things?

_Bunny._

It sounded like her voice- it was clear and sweet, like a bell.

_I'm always right beside you. I've always been with you. _

The wind blew softly at his fur. It softly caressed his cheek just like how she did in her last living moments. The wind smelled just like Flora. His body stiffened. Was it her?

_The spirit of Mother Nature lives within everyone, right here. _The wind became strong and it felt like someone touched his chest softly. _You can never escape the feeling of joy. No matter how hard you try, Bunny. I will always be there to help protect the flowers of the world. The spirit of Mother Nature cannot be contained. The spirit of Mother Nature cannot be silenced forever. _

Tears fell freely from his eyes. Her voice became stronger and more solid sounding. There was a crunch of a footstep in the grass behind him.

"And the spirit of Mother Nature cannot be tamed."

His ear twitched. His nose sniffed. He turned around slowly, carefully, and saw her standing in the grass behind him. She stood there with her cheek flushed with joy, her rosebud lips trembling in excitement. Tears of joy pooled in her big green eyes. She closed her palm and opened it. An aster flower appeared in the palm of her hand.

"Bunny." Tears spilled freely from her eyes as she flew to him and hugged him with all of her strength. "Oh, Bunny!"

Bunnymund was shocked. He stood there without moving as she hugged him. He slowly put his arms around her and felt her body against his. She was real. She was here, next to him. Was this a dream?

"F-Flora?" he asked quietly. He leaned back and took her head in his hands. "Is it really you?"

Flora beamed as the tears fell down her face. "Yes! Yes—and I'm never leaving again."

Bunnymund thumbed a tear off her cheek and dipped her. He kissed her passionately and when he pulled away he told her promptly, "I love you."

Flora grinned and smiled through her tears. "And I you. You are my new calling."

"And you are mine." He looked at her—really looked at her. "Your wings! They're different!"

She twirled around and laughed. "Manny seemed to have equipped me with some new kicks! I like," she said, and twirled around again. Her wings were slightly bigger than before, no longer gossamer-like (like a dragonfly's wing), but a soft gold, and they sparkled like the night sky in the countryside. They sparkled like stars and the gold was deeper at the edges of her wings and faded to a clear finish near the base of her wings. Her skin was back to the healthy golden glow thanks to the coat of sunshine dust. Her eyes, dark green, were unchanged. Her hair was still dark brown and messy, with waves and curls everywhere.

She was still perfect, inside and out.

Bunnymund stretched out a hand. "Want to come see the others?" He readied his foot. He couldn't take his eyes off of her!

Flora gave him an impish grin. "Not yet." She smirked at his confused expression and rose into the air. She let out a pure note and sang a little melody. She raised her arms and a gentle breeze took the sunshine dust off of her arms. The dust floated in the wind before Flora guided it to the ground. She knelt to the ground and whispered a few words of encouragement, and this time Bunnymund could hear her.

"Grow, grow and be joyful. God knows we could use a little more joy in this world." She kissed her fingers and pressed them to the ground. She caught Bunnymund's stare. "For luck," she insisted with a laugh. She stood back and gazed over her garden. There was a moment of peace as she said, "It's good to be home." With that she snapped her fingers and flowers grew all at once. The trees mended themselves and grew their leaves. Grass blanketed the ground as little wildflowers grew all around Flora and Bunnymund. An aster flower grew near their feet and Flora bent down to pick it. She tucked it behind her ear as she reached for Bunnymund's hand.

"Now I'm ready." She said, and squeezed his hand. Flora gazed out at the garden, happy that it was growing. Bunnymund tapped his foot and they traveled to the North Pole together.

* * *

Even after all that has happened, I can still close my eyes and remember when I first came around. I can remember the friends that I made, the enemies I defeated. I can still remember the horrors that I went through, the pain and the suffering, the loneliness and the hurting. But other things overshadowed the pain: love, joy, friendship, peace, harmony.

Hope.

My story may not be as different as others, but it is one in the same. It is _my _story, _my _humble tale of how I came to be. It's my adventure- the history of the simple idea of Mother Nature.

And that's what made it different.

It turned out that I was so tethered to the Earth that there was no possible way for me to not come back. If it wasn't for Bunnymund visiting the garden on that day I would still be just a spirit with no body. You see, my earthly body had died, but my spirit was still around. The idea of someone who grows the plants is an idea that is so out there and unusual that it just _can't_ die. I would only truly die when that idea went away. Bunnymund offered a gift, a gift of love, and that was what brought me back. Manny always said that Bunnymund was strong not only in strength, but in other ways too. Bunnymund's love was so strong it gave me the strength to get my body back.

After I died I remember I met the Man in the Moon, and we had a long talk. I told him about my memories, about the life I used to live before I became Flora, and about who I am now. I told him about the adventure that had taken place over the last few days and how I made the biggest mistake of all time, but I reassured him that I found what I did was wrong and how I eventually came back to the side I was meant for. He mostly listened as I rambled on, but he did tell me a few words of advice. While I can't tell you about most of our conversation (simply because it will spoil a few things), I will tell you this: he promised something special for us all. He promised another protector of nature.

"What do you mean, another 'protector of nature'?" I remember asking him, but he just smiled and shook his head. Manny was like that, often saying things without giving anything else away. I remember how I pestered him for a few moments after this, but he refused to say anything else. It painfully reminded me of those first years of being Mother Nature, with no one to talk to and with my questions going unanswered. But those days are of the past, just like the days of Florence.

When Bunnymund took me to the North Pole when I came back, the five other Guardians happened to be there all at once, off duty from their designated jobs. I remember the simultaneous jolt of surprise from everyone, the shouts of astonishment and the yells of excitement. I remember how Jack accidentally froze an elf in his joy. We were all so happy to be together again, just the six of us. We were a family again.

A couple days went by before I went to visit Melody after I came back. I remember how I flew into her yard and called for her. "Melody!"

There was an immediate shout of excitement from within the house and Melody all but threw herself out of the back door. Her blonde hair was longer now and she was missing a tooth, but otherwise she still looked the same.

"She's here, she's here!" Melody cried. Lily came barreling through the door as well. I flew towards them and we collided in a group hug. There was lots of giggling and laughter as we sat there for a moment.

"So where have you been?" Lily asked after there was a brief pause. She looked hurt. "I wanted you to see my prom dress."

"You missed my birthday!" Melody pouted. She crossed her arms and pretended to be cross.

"Sweetie, as much as I wanted to see you go off to prom and as much as I wanted to see you on your birthday, I couldn't."

"We could see that," Lily mumbled under her breath. I glared at her before I continued.

"I was busy," I said. "With saving the world."

That got their attention.

And with that, I told them about my adventure. I told them about Pitch Black and how he almost managed to get me to cross to the other side. I told them how he destroyed my garden and how I died but came back to life because of love.

"It was the bunny, wasn't it?" Lily said with a smirk. She raised an eyebrow. "He was the one who helped bring you back."

I gaped at her. "How did you know?"

"Just a feeling," she said primly, and we both laughed.

"Bunny, bunny, bunny!" Melody grinned. "He gave me the egg that you painted. He said it was a present because I couldn't find that many eggs during the Easter egg hunt."

"How sweet," I said, but on the inside I was touched. That man still continued to amaze me with the little things. Lily seemed to notice my change in emotion because she quickly stood and gestured toward Melody.

"Come on, Mel, we still have to go to the library before it closes. It closes early on weekdays." She held her hand out to her younger sister. "Let's go so Flora can get back to her work."

Melody stood and looked at me with big eyes. "Do you promise to come back?"

I stood and hugged her. "I will _always_ come back. That's a promise."

Lily crossed her arms. "Good, because if you ever leave us again I will kick your ass."

Melody clapped her hands over her ears. "Language, Lily!" Lily shrugged and grinned cheekily. I laughed, and after making a few promises to bring them to my garden one day, they left and I flew out of the yard.

That was the first out of many encounters I had with the girls. The three of us became especially close, like sisters almost. They believed in the other Guardians as well, and I eventually brought Tooth along with me to meet them.

"I bet that they're fairy fans!" She exclaimed when I invited her along to meet them.

Tooth and I became really close. We were the only two female Guardians, so we had to be on good terms even if we didn't become friends. I remember how one day close to Christmas, as we sat close to the fire, taking a break from helping North get ready for the big night, we had a particularly deep conversation.

"Tooth, don't take this in the wrong way, but… why are you with North?" I remember asking her. I remember how Tooth smiled softly and put her mug of hot cocoa down next to her and shooed a random elf away.

"Why North when I could be with Jack?" She asked dryly, and I laughed. "Do you know the order of how we became a Guardian?" I shook my head. "First it was Sandy, then me, then North, then Aster, then Jack—"

"And then me. What does that have to do with anything?" I took a sip of my cocoa. I fluttered my wings and wrapped them tightly around myself to keep warms.

Tooth held out her hand. "As Guardians, we have to care for each other more than how a normal family would. With our different areas of expertise and powers we have to bend around each other to complete our collective job: protecting the children of the world. North just always seemed like a giant teddy bear to me, even when he claimed to be ferocious and terrifying. He would always be exceptionally sweet to me and treated me with so much respect that I couldn't help but fall for him.

"He was like my other half. I remember how he showed me that he was compassionate and kind and loving. He helped to open my eyes to the wonders of the world, and one time I had to help him remember what was important." She smiled and lowered her lilac eyes. "It turned out to be me. We've been, quote unquote, 'together' ever since."

I couldn't believe how strong their love was. They acted as though they knew each other inside and out, forwards and backwards. Sometimes I would catch them just sitting with each other in silence, happy as could be. "What about marriage?" I couldn't help but ask.

Tooth smiled. "We're both immortal. We don't need a ring to tell us we were meant for each other. We have our entire lives to spend together." After Tooth said this there was a giant crash in the distance. She stood and rolled her eyes. "That must have been a yeti. I have to go see what happened." She left, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

What Tooth said was beautiful. It made sense, too. Why get married when you are going to live forever with the person you love? Tooth's reasons were perfectly romantic and I could honestly see Bunnymund and myself like that as well.

As I finished up my thinking, Bunnymund came into the room and smiled when he saw me. He hopped over to where I was sitting. As we sat in silence and admired the quiet, I felt as though everything was finally perfect.

It's always crazy to look back and see how far I've come. I was no one, then someone, then gone, and now I'm here, a Guardian and Mother Nature. There were some tough times but we came together as a family and protected one another. We never did find out what happened to Pitch after the last battle, but we plan to keep it that way. All I know is that I'm never going back to his side again. I have my friends around me; what more could one need? We are Guardians, after all.

As Guardians, we go by many names, and take many forms. We bring wonder and hope. We bring joy and dreams. We are the Sandman and the Tooth Fairy. We are the Easter Bunny and Santa. We are Jack Frost and Mother Nature. And our powers are greater than you ever imagine.

Because before it gets better, the darkness gets bigger. But ultimately in the end everything goes the way it should.

And that's my story.

* * *

And that concludes Nightmares and Blossoms. I hope that you enjoyed it! Please leave a review on what you thought about it.

As promised, here's the sneak peek of Tethered. Hope you enjoy(:

* * *

**Tethered**

_Have you ever felt pure happiness? So happy that you felt like nothing could ever bring you down? I did. I remember last year when I joined the Guardians I thought it would be the worst time of my life, but it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. I have my friends around me all the time. I would be forever grateful to them because they put up with me since the beginning. I found my little niche in the world. Everything was in perfect harmony._

_That all changed when we received word that a new Protector of Nature was coming._

_That all changed when I, Flora, realized who the Protector was._

_And boy, did that make our lives different. I doubt we'll ever be the same._

_Let's just say that the sisters found each other after death. After all, what's stronger than the bond of sisters? Of family?_

_Nothing._

Today was Tooth's birthday. Bunnymund and Flora had planned a party in Flora's garden for her. The couple asked the Groundhog if he could direct her mini fairies for the night so she could celebrate. North baked the cake (of which Sandy decorated), and Jack brought a few deserts baked by himself and Jamie and a few of Jamie's friends. Flora decided to steer clear of those when she saw what looked like dog food kibbles sprinkled on top of the messily iced cupcakes. Flora loved Jamie to death but she wasn't about to eat those cupcakes.

When Flora first met Jamie she was taken aback. Jack had taken her aside and told her how Jamie was the last light on the Globe who believed in them when Pitch first tried to take over the world, roughly two years ago. The boy who was missing two bottom teeth (caused, Jack told her with a snicker, by a rouge snowball) helped the Guardians two years ago. It made her look at the young boy differently. How could such a small boy ultimately save the world from darkness and despair?

"Alright, Jamie. I know this will be an odd question, but what do you know of Mother Nature?" Jack asked. The other Guardians stood by wearily. They didn't know what to expect; neither did Flora.

"Mother Nature," the young boy screwed his face up in concentration. "She plants stuff, right? My mother used to tell me stories about her."

"Plants stuff," Bunnymund and Flora grumbled at the same time. They looked at each other and smirked. Tooth held a delicate hand over her mouth and giggled.

Jack flashed Flora a grin. "Actually, Mother Nature is more than a story. What do you like to say, Flora? That Mother Nature cannot be tamed?" She blushed and nodded. She had no idea what he was doing, but apparently Bunnymund did. He hid a grin as well. _Did they plan this out? _Flora had a sneaky suspicion they did. She had half a mind to be angry with them but she could never be upset with Jack and Bunnymund.

Jamie frowned. "Flora...?" He looked at Jack. "Who's Flora?"

Even though Flora knew he wouldn't know much about her, it still hurt when he said that. However, this time when he said that it didn't physically hurt like how it did last year. She sighed and looked at the ground.

Bunnymund, sensing her distress, nodded at her. "Why don't cha show him what you can do, Flora?" Flora immediately brightened and leaned over Sandy and kissed his cheek.

They were in the forested area of the main recreational park of Burgess. Jamie looked around, confused, as Flora focused on a small patch of grass and sprinkled a pinch of sunshine dust over the grass. She knelt down and touched the ground softly. She whispered a few words of encouragement to the ground and concentrated. Within seconds a small green shoot popped out of the ground. It grew a tiny bud and quickly bloomed into a pure white daisy. Flora saw Jamie's look of amazement as she stood by her fellow Guardians.

"Is that- is that a daisy?" Jamie sputtered. "How did that grow so fast?"

Bunnymund gestured with his head towards Flora. "Ask her."

Jamie's eyes traveled from Jack, to North, to Bunnymund, to Sandy, to Tooth, and then his eyes finally settled on Flora, located in between Tooth and Sandy. There was an obvious gap between them that gave the impression of a person standing there. Jamie closed his eyes tightly and opened them. At once Flora felt that odd feeling of warmth traveling through her body as Jamie looked at her— really looked at her.

"F–Flora?" He squeaked. He seemed awestruck as his brown eyes drank in her appearance. His eyes traveled over her long brown hair, her green dress, and finally landed on her bare feet.

She smiled shyly at him and offered a hand. "Hello, Jamie. It's nice to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you from Jack."

At these words Jamie jumped. He narrowed his eyes at Jack and hissed, "You didn't tell her about the pumpkin incident, did you?"

Jack laughed loudly. "Don't worry, little buddy. Your secret is safe with me."

Jamie breathed a sigh of relief. "Good." He snuck a glance at Flora. She smiled at him.

"You can see her, Jamie?" Tooth asked. She squealed and hugged Flora. "That's so great!"

"Thanks, Tooth!" Flora jumped into the air and her golden wings flew out from behind her by instinct. She flew up through the trees and twirled around in excitement.

"She can fly too?" She heard Jamie ask in awe. Bunnymund chuckled and said, "She can do more than that, Jamie."

Flora flew back to the earth. Jamie's eyes never left her. She held out a hand. In it was a slim forget-me-not. He took it carefully from her.

"My mom loves these." Jamie said. His eyes lit up. "Thanks!"

"You're welcome," Flora beamed. She looked at Jack over Jamie's head. "He can see me!"

"I think we already established that," Jack laughed. "Do you want to meet the others?"

Flora's eyes sparkled. "There are others?"

"Yeah!" Jamie exclaimed. "There's Claude, and Cupcake, and Monty, and my little sister Sophie. They'll love you! Will you please come meet them?" He grabbed Flora's hand and started to pull her out of the woods and into the playground area.

Jack floated carelessly beside Flora as the Guardians trooped along behind them. Flora smiled at him, "I have no choice, do I?"

Jack shook his head and tousled Jamie's hair. Jamie swatted his hand away as Jack said, "Nope. When he gets an idea he won't let it go."

By the end of the day, all of Jamie's friends could see Flora. It was the most wonderful day she could ever ask for. She had met so many people and became friends with all of them… it was just pure perfection.

Flora's flashback was cut short when Bunnymund caught her attention and asked, "Are yeh in dreamland again?" he smirked.

Flora pouted and threw a handful of sunshine dust at him. When it made contact with his fur it exploded and a wreath of flowers appeared around his neck.

Bunnymund spat a petal out of his mouth. "Ugh, sunflowers? Those have got to be the ugliest flowers on the planet." He removed the wreath from around his neck and propped it up against the table.

"Sunflowers are beautiful, Bunnymund. They remind me of little suns." Flora adjusted her dress and giggled. "You should have seen your expression!"

"They look like little faces teh me," Bunnymund grumbled.

"Flora, when will North bring Tooth to the garden?" Bunnymund called from the table. Flora had set up a small garden table that humans use in their silly yards. It was made of wrought iron and stained a pretty green. She thought it would go nicely with the forest in the background.

She poked her head from the cave. "When the sun is high!"

Bunnymund chuckled. "Why can't you just say 'noon'?" He straightened up and glanced at the sky. The sun was almost to the mid part. "They'll be here soon."

Flora grabbed the pretty glass pitcher made of never melting ice that was given to her from Jack and walked to the pond. She smiled at the clear, natural spring water in the small pocket in the wall. She scooped water into the pitcher and flew back to the table. She set the cold pitcher down and smiled at Bunnymund.

"What? You've been staring at me all morning." Flora flew to a nearby bush of raspberries and started to pick the tiny fruit. "Does my face have something on it?"

Bunnymund chuckled and shook his head. "Naw, mate. Yeh just look so happy it makes you kind of glow." He hopped to the same bush and helped pick some berries. He glanced at her arms. "The dust is bright today. Is something bound to happen? Pitch isn't near, is he?"

The last time Flora's dust shined so bright was when Pitch tried to kill her by setting her garden on fire. Sometimes when she walked through the forest of her garden she could still see the remnants of that horrible night. Charred bits of tree trunks, streaks of soot on the walls... it was enough to make her have nightmares again.

Flora glanced at her arms. They WERE shining pretty bright thanks to the dust. "I don't think so. I would know, wouldn't I?" She walked back to the table and put the raspberries in the ice cold water. Bunnymund did the same. "I like to think he was forever banished to his cave. We would know if he tried to take over the world again."

"He's a sly dog. He's probably just bidin' his time." Bunnymund wiped his hands clean of the sweet raspberry juice. Flora shook her head and flew to the mint bush. She picked a few leaves while she said, "More likely he's just waiting."

"For what?" Bunnymund asked as he handed her a spoon. She threw the mint leaves in the pitcher and shrugged.

"I have no idea."

Flora stirred the water around in the pitcher and offered him a taste. He waved the offer away and continued to help set up the food. They worked in silence before they both jumped in fright—there was a screeching sort of noise carried over to them over the wind. It sounded like an animal cry, but it sounded vaguely human.

Suddenly Bunnymund stopped and stood straight. His ears twitched and moved around. Flora abruptly swallowed her smile and glanced around nervously. She heard it too, that shrill kind of cry. Did he hear something in the trees, beyond the bushes? It didn't sound natural.

"Stay here. I'll be right back." Bunnymund drew his boomerangs and quietly went to the tree line. "Get in the cave."

"Bunnymund, I'm sure it's nothing," She said as she listened to him and flew toward the cave. She watched as he slowly disappeared into the foliage. Flora gasped in fright. There! There it was again! It was like a mix between a bird call and a war cry. What could it be, and how did it get into her garden?

* * *

Deep within a dark forest, two girls packed up their small camp. One was tall and slim with long, wavy black hair and the other was short and thin with long blonde hair. They moved as though they've been through the motions of packing up several times.

The shorter girl stood and put her hands on her hips. "Alright, let's get everything together. We have to go now if we want to make it there by noon. If we head due north we should be there in record time." She flicked her blonde hair out of her eyes and looked down at her boot-clad feet. A small caterpillar inched its way across a leaf. She glanced up and stared hard at the girl with black hair in front of her. She shyly looked away. "And don't slow us down this time, Aria."

Aria nodded but didn't say anything; she never said anything. She offered a small smile that the blonde didn't see.

A little bird swooped down from the sky above them and chirped his hello. The girl with blonde hair sighed and rolled her blue eyes as he wriggled his wings and in a blink of an eye there was a boy standing there. He flashed the blonde a grin and said, "All's clear above, Captain." He mock-saluted her. "We are ready for lift off."

She smacked his shoulder and stooped to pick up her sheathe of arrows. She slung the bow on her back and looked up at the trees. A cool breeze tickled her cheek and a whisper of encouragement was carried within it. She smiled at Aria. Aria had other ways of communicating than talking; after all, she WAS the spirit of music. She whispered to the blonde girl once that she couldn't use her full voice unless she wanted things to go wonky around her. She told the blonde that one time, when she was younger, she greeted someone in her normal voice and that person went insane. Her voice was too pure to listen to without consequence. When she whispered the affect was only a slight dizzy spell that usually went away with a quick shake of the head, however it affected everyone differently.

"Are there any berries left?" The boy poked the blonde girl's shoulder. She hissed at him and shoved the dozen berries that were left wrapped in a leaf at him.

"Come on, Elijah. We've got to go. No more poking around." She shooed him away. "Go on. We shall soon get out of this infernal forest and back to the world."

They were stuck in a forest that seemed to go on forever in every direction. Even when Elijah flew above the trees he said that the trees go in every direction for miles and miles. There were even walls that trapped the trees in here! The rock walls, though slippery and slick with the early morning dew, were strangely familiar to the blonde girl. It gave her the weirdest sense of de ja vu and she couldn't explain why.

"Where to first, Fauna?" Elijah jumped to attention and smirked. Fauna rolled her eyes at him again. She walked to a tree and peered around it. She flicked the blonde hair out of her eyes again.

"Let's go this way. I see the trees thinning out off in the distance. What do you think, Aria?" She nodded. A bird chirped in the distance and it sounded like the bird said, "Yup!" Aria could sometimes manipulate the vocal chords of other creatures to say what she needed to say, but she only did it so often. She whispered to Fauna once that it was very rude and that she didn't like doing it to other people, so she mostly used birds to talk.

Fauna turned to Elijah. "Do you promise to not run off this time?" He nodded sullenly. "Good. Stay here with Aria and if it's safe I'll come back. If I get stuck or hurt I'll give the call."

_"Can you say the call again?"_ It was hardly more than a whisper.

Fauna nodded at Aria. She threw her head back and gave a shrill shout. Elijah clapped his approval.

"Marvelous darling, absolutely smashing." He continued to clap. "You are wonderful at what you do."

Fauna smacked his shoulder again and scowled. "We're on a mission to get out of the forest, not to play games. Get yourself together, Elijah."

Elijah smiled. "I can't help it! I'm the spirit of Imagination, aren't I? I'm supposed to love games!"

Fauna rolled her eyes. Yes, Elijah was the spirit of imagination. His ability to spin stories out of nothing was impressive. He could paint pictures in Aria's and Fauna's minds with only a few words; he could calm the most uptight. In fact, that was how Fauna and Elijah found each other.

When Fauna first came around, she was lost. Literally. She woke up in a forest with no sense of where she was or how she had gotten there. The only things she knew were her name and a vague idea of how to control her powers. She mentally called for help, and a flying sparrow came hurtling towards her out of the trees. It wriggled its wings and a boy who looked about seventeen with a mop of black hair appeared in its place. Fauna remembered how Elijah calmed her down and they became friends. They began to try and travel out of the forest because Elijah insisted that he had to protect her.

They then began to share a sort of partnership. Fauna was very serious and very tight, while Elijah was very loose and quite the opposite of Fauna. They traveled around together, and Fauna picked up several languages while Elijah paid more attention to the cultures of the different places. He had to know the people before he helped them daydream, right? That was why he watched rather than listened, which was what Fauna did. However, when they were in public places, both of them realized that people couldn't see them. Elijah understood some reason why normal people couldn't see them but Fauna couldn't see why. She supposed that the two of them were some sort of spirit or being that were unseen to the untrained eye.

Fauna scowled. "I'm going to go now. Aria, if Elijah starts to annoy you then I give you permission to hit him. Elijah, don't annoy Aria."

"Got it, Fauna." Elijah said as he mock-saluted Fauna again. Aria smiled at her peacefully. Elijah had a bit of a fancy on Aria. It was obvious how he doted on her and treated her like a princess.

Fauna nodded at the both of them and jumped into the air. Her wings unfurled quickly flapped them to get some air. They were beautiful things, really, like monarch butterfly wings. They were huge, half the size of Fauna's body, and covered with oranges and yellows and whites. Her wings were funny; it was like they always knew what Fauna thought because they only appeared when she needed them. The rest of the time they were God-knows-where, but they weren't on her back, that was for sure. Oftentimes Fauna would catch Elijah looking at them and when she would question him he would just shrug his shoulders and grin haphazardly.

"They remind me of someone I know." He would say. Then he would glance at Aria and blush. "Someone who's colorful on the inside."

Fauna flapped her wings and sped past trees of many different species. It was like they were grown all willy-nilly. There was no preference on where the trees grew. Fauna remembered a few miles back nearly every tree grew so close together the three friends could barely climb through them.

Fauna flew quickly through the trees and dodged every branch. Her blonde hair kept flying in her face; she usually keep it pulled back but today Aria convinced her to wear it down. She could now see what a mistake that was. This was bloody torture!

Fauna landed on the ground and touched a tree softly. She watched as a trail of moss followed where her fingers touched the rough bark. She had the strangest feeling of someone watching her. She whirled around quickly but saw no one there. Fauna grabbed her bow and strung an arrow; she aimed it at the opening in the trees. She let it go without hesitation with a satisfying _thwack_ and it hit something. She was about to go and see what she hit (it may had just been a tree, but just to make sure), but she heard a low growl behind the branches. Fauna backed up to the tree behind her. She hadn't seen any animal in this forest. What made that sound?

Fauna was about to open her mouth to give the warning call to her partners when a whistling sound made her pause. Fauna gasped and flattened herself against the tree. She turned and scrambled up the branches like a squirrel. She held her breath and pressed herself to the trunk as the whistling sound passed by her again. She heard a soft thumping sound and nearly dropped out of the tree.

There, directly under the tree Fauna was in, stood a six foot tall rabbit. He was lean and muscular and had floppy ears that currently swiveled around. He held two boomerangs in his hands. Was she seeing things? There couldn't possibly be a rabbit that was six feet tall. She would know; Fauna knew each and every species and subspecies of animal. She could speak to them in their own language and understand their thoughts and emotions.

"Oi, is anyone there?" A strong accent said. Fauna almost fell out of the tree again when she realized it was the rabbit who spoke. "Come out, wontcha?"

Fauna stayed as still as possible. The rabbit looked around before he moved on. She waited a few moments before she took a deep breath and gave a loud bird call, the one that meant "don't move and hide." She dropped to another branch and waited a few moments. The rabbit came rushing back to the tree Fauna was in. His green eyes were large and cat-like. She had to keep a rare giggle from escaping her lips from the thought of a rabbit with cat eyes.

Fauna actually snorted aloud and immediately slapped a hand over her mouth. What if he heard her? The glare into the tree branches made her think he did hear her. Fauna lowered herself to the branch below the one she was currently on and stared hard at him. She was a good six or seven feet above him. He had silvery blue tribal markings up and down his arms and light gray fur that looked fluffier than the down feathers on a goose. His green eyes darted around the tree branches. He was looking for her!

Fauna gasped quietly and shut her light blue eyes. When she opened them she looked down at herself. But, the trouble was, she couldn't see her body. Her clothes and skin had turned a dark brown (a significant change from her usual pale skin) and had taken on the texture of the tree bark. The art of blending in was a specialty of hers, one of her few talents.

Fauna heard a girl's voice in the distance calling a name ("Bunnymund? Where are you?") and the rabbit gave one last sweep through the tree's branches before he turned to leave. "I'll be back," he muttered quietly before he turned and shouted, "Commin', Flora!" and bounded off into the distance. _That must be the way out!_ He knows how to navigate through the trees!

Fauna quickly slid down the tree and crouched on the ground. Her skin instantly turned to the texture of the green grass. She hurried to stand and followed the mysterious rabbit on foot. She was careful to not make a sound and to stay low. Suddenly the trees thinned to an extent and a bright light was near the tree line. The rabbit hopped into the bright sunlight and out of Fauna's field of vision. She paused before she followed him. Could this be the end of Fauna, Aria, and Elijah's troubles? They have been lost in this forest for a significant amount of time.

Fauna looked down to check her camouflage. To her relief she still blended in with her surroundings. It was nearly impossible to distinguish her body from the area around her. She took a few steps with her boots.

Perhaps this moment will change everything.

* * *

Thank you for reading this! I should have the first chapter uploaded soon, so keep an eye out for it.

And again, thanks.


End file.
